


Only After Dark

by vulpixel



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Golden Deer Shenanigans, Haunted House, Modern AU, legit forgot lorenz existed when i was writing this im SORRY i'll include him in later chapters, mari is just a tad ooc but theres reason for it, theres blood and stuff so if ur not into that id suggest skipping over this but its also not too bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-01-23 19:07:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21325165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpixel/pseuds/vulpixel
Summary: golden deer crew decides to visit an abandoned house on halloween and kinda discovers vampires are realhilda has balls of steel damn
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Comments: 47
Kudos: 205





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> im sad halloween is over so i wrote this i hope yall enjoy :D

Getting drunk at the party was a good idea at the time. Halloween, as always, is the best night of the year to dress up slutty with friends and get wasted. Hilda did as much dressed as a vampire while Claude went as a zombie. They played a few drinking games, then stumbled into truth or dare. Someone mentioned the house on the hill, and now, here they are, trudging through the woods drunk and loud.

Raphael leads the way with Claude close behind. It was Claude's idea to explore the house in the first place. Ignatz details them on the history of the haunted house. He scrolls through articles on his phone. Hilda shivers, regretting her decision to wear such a skimpy outfit.

"Everyone who goes in there has never come back." Ignatz rambles. The light of his phone reflects off his glasses. "The entire family died mysteriously in 1840. They were all buried, but the bodies went missing a week later. The townsfolk believed it was some sort of curse, so they refused to go anywhere near the house. It's been abandoned since."

"The entire family died on the same night?" Lysithea mumbles. “How did they die?”

“I assume they were killed. The family was found hanging with their bodies completely drained of blood.”

She clings to Leonie for emotional support. "I don't wanna be out here. It's too dark. What if we see their ghosts?"

"Good thing I didn't dress up as a ghost this year." Claude laughs.

"You did last year, and Lysithea nearly knocked you out cold when you scared her." Leonie adds helpfully.

"Don't remind me."

Raphael steps on a twig, making a loud noise. Lysithea jumps and nearly faints from shock. Leonie holds her up.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Claude," Hilda says, looking up at the night sky. The full moon lights the woods, adding to the erie atmosphere. Dark clouds loom overhead.

"Oh, c'mon. It'll be fun." He nudges his friend in the side.

"What if we go in there, and we see the ghost?" Lysithea turns white thinking about it. "What if it kills us? Or gives us a curse?"

"No offense, Lysithea, but if a ghost were to curse me, I would simply say 'no thank you'," Claude says.

Lysithea glares at him. Claude bursts out laughing.

"See? Ghosts aren't so bad."

Ignatz continues to scroll through articles on his phone while Raphael maneuvers him to keep him out of the path of danger.

"According to this site, two people went to the house in 1972 and were never heard from again."

“Never heard from again?” Lysithea quivers.

“Until a few months later when hikers found their bodies discarded and completely drained of blood.” Ignatz adds helpfully.

"Oh, perfect! Vampires!" Claude turns back to Lysithea. "See? Nothing to worry about."

"I don't like vampires either." Lysithea cries. “What if they try to eat me?”

"Claude, stop teasing her." Hilda scolds.

"I'm sorry." Claude apologizes. "I promise we'll protect you, Lysithea. You're like my little sister."

Leonie turns to Lysithea. "Do you still want to go?"

The girl contemplates her two options: walk home in the dark or go into a haunted house with all your friends. She weighs them both for a long while before finally saying, "Let's do this, but you better be willing to get eaten for me."

"I swear on my life I will jump in front of its fangs." Claude puts a hand over his heart.

After more walking, they finally see the house. It looms overhead, atop a hill. A fence surrounds it to keep intruders out. Hilda grows nervous as they get closer. She secretly wishes she could grab onto Leonie with Lysithea, but she has an image to maintain. The group picks up the pace, panting by the time they get to the top of the hill.

"What a workout!" Raphael exclaims. "Let's do this more often!"

"Let's not." Lysithea squeaks. She holds Leonie's hand for comfort. The other girl gazes up at the dilapidated house. It stands tall before them, looking as if it could crumble at any moment. The real danger is the infrastructure.

Claude walks up to the gate and rattles the bars. A hefty lock keeps the gate from flying open. Even though the house is centuries old, the lock seems fairly new.

He turns to Ignatz. "Hey, Iggie, do you know how to pick locks?"

"Why do you think I know how to pick locks?" He questions back.

"I don't know. You read a lot."

"Not about lock picking!" Ignatz huffs. "Okay, that's a lie. I've watched a few videos on it."

"So can you do it?"

"No!" Ignatz rolls his eyes. "I don't have my lock picking kit on me."

"You have a lock picking kits? Actually, nevermind," Leonie says.

Claude moves onto the fence. He observes the ground closely. His eyes light up with an idea. "Aha! Raphael, come here!"

The group rushes over to find a lonely spot in the fence. The wiring stretched out from decades of wear, and probably some past intruders.

"I can bend this, easy." Raphael rubs his hands together.

"I brought wire clippers, dummy." Claude reaches into his backpack.

"Do you just carry those around everywhere?" Leonie asks.

"Only to parties." Claude answers with a wink. "You never know."

"That's Claude for ya." Hilda sighs, shaking her head.

Raphael starts working on the fence. His muscles bulge as he puts all his strength into cutting the wires. To him, this is easy. To everyone watching, the sight is slightly terrifying. No wonder this man eats six full meals a day. Soon, he has a small entrance for everyone to squeeze through.

"Ladies first." Claude gestures to Hilda.

"You know that's a stupid saying." The girl rolls her eyes. "You're just scared."

"And you're just stalling."

"Ugh, fine. If this rips my stockings, you're buying me new ones." Hilda obviously has her priorities straight. She ducks down to fit through the hole. The fabric of her stockings snags on a wire and leaves a sizeable gash.

"Shit! Just my luck!" Hilda complains. Luckily, the cut did not break her skin. "Get in here, bastard."

Claude obliges. He slips through the hole without a problem. Ignatz follows. The other girls go next, leaving Raphael for last.

"Almost there." Claude rubs his hands together. "Lysithea, are you doing okay?"

"Maybe." The girl squeezes the life out of Leonie's hand. She grabs for Hilda as well. Hilda takes her other hand, glad to have some comfort as well.

Even Raphael seems nervous. He gets uncharacteristically quiet as they approach the house. Ignatz sticks close to him, using his phone as a flashlight. The grass reaches up to their waists. They tread lightly, finally reaching the front porch. Overgrown bushes shroud the entrance. The wood creaks under their weight. Raphael cracks a board in half. Lysithea screams when she hears the noise, scaring everyone else too.

“It’s just a board.” Claude reasons. “Be careful, I don’t want anyone falling through the floorboards.”

Now comes the scariest part: going inside. They came all this way, so there is no turning back now. Claude takes a deep breath and puts his hand on the door. The anticipation is overwhelming. Hilda squeezes Lysithea’s hand. The door bursts open with some force. Claude flies inside with the momentum. Hilda rushes inside after him.

“Are you okay?” She asks concernedly.

Claude pants. “Yeah! This isn’t so bad. Check this place out.”

The house feels bigger on the inside. A chandelier hangs from the tall ceiling covered in cobwebs. A staircase curls upstairs. Dusty picture frames hang on the walls, all of them indecipherable. Old furniture still remains, but broken from decades of wasting away. A thick layer of dust covers everything. Hilda uses her phone as a flashlight.

“I’m checking the kitchen first!” Raphael exclaims. “I wanna find old food.”

He disappears around the corner, Ignatz following close behind. “Raphael, you can’t eat anything!”

Lysithea stands frozen in the doorway with Leonie. “I think I’m changing my mind.”

“We made it this far.” Leonie encourages. “We can do it!”

“But I don’t want to.”

“What if I took you out for a milkshake tomorrow?”

“We can do this!” Lysithea cheers, trying to hype herself up. Her body still shakes with nervousness, but at least she is smiling.

“That’s the spirit,” Claude says. He continues to examine every inch of the living room. Hilda stands idly near him, not sure what to do. She flashes her phone over the fireplace. A single ember flickers in the ash.

“Hey, Claude?”

“Yeah?”

“Nevermind.” She decides she does not want to overthink it for the sake of her stomach.

“Guys!” Raphael yells from the kitchen. “Get in here!”

The group rushes into the kitchen. Hilda’s stomach lurches at the sight. The smell attacks her nose. A dead deer lies on the counter with its head torn off. A pool of dried blood surrounds it.

“This was recent.” Leonie gasps. She seems to be the only person not disgusted by the grotesque sight.

“I doubt it was an animal that did this. How would it get on the counter?” Claude points out.

“Maybe it was a bear.” Lysithea suggests. She covers her face to filter out some of the smell. “Bears are big.”

Ignatz shakes his head. “What would a bear be doing in an abandoned house?”

“Whatever did it, tore this poor thing apart with its bare hands.” Raphael takes a step back.

“Or bear hands.”

“Shut up, Claude.” Hilda jabs her friend in the side. The boy snorts.

“Maybe someone really is living here.” Despite everything, Ignatz cannot make himself look away. Curiosity gets the better of him. He examines the carcass like he would in his forensics class. “This has only been dead a couple days.”

“Why is there no blood?” Leonie asks.

“It all dried up?” Hilda shrugs.

“I think whatever did this is still here,” Ignatz says, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“Should we leave?” Lysithea asks.

“My curiosity is piqued. We should go find more clues.” Claude suggests.

Hilda rolls her eyes. “Don’t say it-”

“Let’s split up, gang.”

Lysithea grabs onto Leonie. “I’m staying with Leonie.”

“Who wants to check out upstairs with me?” Claude raises his hand.

“I actually wanted to explore the study first,” Ignatz says.

“I’ll go!” Raphael volunteers.

“I’m going with Claude.” Hilda states.

Leonie and Lysithea check out the study with Ignatz. Tall bookshelves line the walls, filled with ancient books. An old phonograph sits in the corner. Lysithea busies herself with the books while Ignatz explores the desk. Leonie attempts to use the phonograph. She spins the handle, hoping for any sound to come out.

Lysithea sneezes. “Everything is so dusty. I doubt any of these books have been touched in years.”

“Do you think if we pull a special book, a secret room will open?” Leonie gasps. She pulls at random books.

“That only happens in movies.” Lysithea rolls her eyes.

“Actually.” Ignatz corrects. “Hidden doors were quite common back in the day. During prohibition, people made secret rooms to have speakeasies in. There were lots of reasons for hidden rooms, but they were usually used for hiding or to do illegal activities in.”

“Very informative, Ignatz. I’m gonna take all these books out until we find the secret door.” Leonie starts ripping books from the shelves. Lysithea protests.

Meanwhile, Claude stands at the bottom of the stairs looking up. Hilda stands next to him.

“Are you sure these will hold up?” Hilda puts her foot on the first step and presses down. The wood creaks under the slight pressure.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.” Claude shrugs. “Stick close to the sides.”

He starts inching up the staircase, clinging tightly to the rail. He seems composed, but Hilda can sense the nervousness about him. He makes it to the divide without a problem. Hilda goes next. She weighs a bit less than Claude, so she hopes she will have an easier time. She slowly puts her whole weight on the first step. She can feel the wood pushing down. It creaks slowly as she inches onto the next step. She slowly shifts her weight, not wanting to break the steps. Before she knows it, she makes it to the top.

“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” Claude grins, finally loosening up. It makes Hilda feel better as well.

Raphael starts his journey up the stairs. His steps are heavier. The wood bends under his weight. One misstep, and the stair cracks. Raphael cries out in pain.

“Raphael!” Claude calls down to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Just a little bleeding. Go on without me.”

Claude turns to his friend. Hilda frowns. “We already made it this far.”

They turn to the hallway behind them. Doors line the hallway, most broken. Some hang off their hinges. One door is missing completely. A rug runs the length of the hallway.

“Woah.”

“What is it?” Hilda wonders.

Claude stands before a large portrait. It depicts a family. They can make out the mother and father, but the child in the painting is scratched out. The face is obscured by a gash in the painting, seemingly done purposefully.

The boy leans in to examine the piece further. He rubs a layer of dust off the bottom of the frame to read the name. “Von Edmund.”

“Von Edmund?” Hilda repeats.

“Yeah. You heard of them before?”

The girl shakes her head. “Never. Must be some old rich family that no one cares about anymore.”

“I bet Ignatz knows,” Claude says, pulling out his phone. He snaps a quick picture of the painting before heading back down the stairs. “I’m gonna go ask him.”

“Don’t leave me here!”

“Hurry up then!” He disappears around the corner, leaving Hilda alone for a brief moment.

She puts a single foot on the first step when she hears a noise. A chill runs down the full length of her spine. Her heart beats out of her chest. She turns around to make sure no one is there with her. The hall remains empty, but a nagging feeling sits in the back of her throat. She can feel a cold presence.

“Claude?” Hilda calls out. Her voice quivers.

No answer.

Panic starts to set in. Hilda rushes down the stairs, tripping on the first step. The wood splinters under her foot. She falls down the stairs. She braces herself for the crash, but it never comes. Finally, she opens her eyes to see herself dangling in the air. A ghostly force holds her arm. A cold hand grips her tighty. Hilda freezes. Slowly, she turns her head to see whatever is keeping her from falling.

A tall figure stands behind her, shrouded by shadows. Hilda nearly faints. Instead, she screams with fear. The figure pulls her closer, muffling her screams with a firm hand. The beast pulls her away from the stairs and slams her against the wall with inhuman force. Hilda tries to push the beast off of her, but they do not budge. They stare her down with glowing white eyes. Not moving. Only staring. They hide their face behind a mask. Hilda continues to struggle against their iron grip.

The beast brings a hand to her neck, feeling Hilda’s pulse. Her heart beats faster. A single tear falls down her cheek.

“I’m sorry.” The beast finally speaks. Their voice is soft. Suddenly, they pull away. “I don’t have control over myself. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry?” Hilda calls out, more confused than scared. She drops to her knees and coughs.

“Hilda?” Footsteps rush upstairs. Claude kneels next to her, putting a supportive arm around her. “Are you okay? What happened?”

The girl pants as she catches her breath. “Nothing. I saw a spider, and it caught me by surprise.”

Leonie and Lysithea catch up to the two.

“A spider?” Claude observes. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Don’t say ghost.” Lysithea whines.

“Don’t say spider.” Leonie adds, glancing nervously around the room.

Claude helps his friend stand up. Her legs shake as she recovers from the shock. Hilda leans on him for support.

“Are you sure it was a spider?” Claude asks. His eyes say everything.

“Yes.” Hilda knows he does not believe her.

“And here I thought we would see something interesting tonight.” He sighs.

“We found that deer,” Hilda says, “And there’s plenty of old books lying around. Don’t you love old books? You spend so much time at the library.”

“I still think there’s a secret entrance in the study somewhere,” Leonie says.

Claude perks up. “You’re right. Maybe there’s a journal or a diary. Anything that can tell me the history of this house and the people in it. I still want to know who’s in that portrait.”

“I think I’m gonna check out the rest of upstairs before looking at some boring books.” Hilda states.

Claude shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

The stairs creak as he returns downstairs. Leonie and Lysithea stay, getting distracted by the large portrait on the wall. It looks especially tall compared to Lysithea. They examine it thoroughly while Hilda explores the hallway. She needs to find that mysterious person.

Most of the doors are broken from decades of wear. Some are missing completely. Hilda peeks into one of the open rooms. She walks into a large spider web, making her gag. She furiously swipes it away. An empty bed frame sits in the middle of a pile of dust and cobwebs. Nothing else looks at all interesting. She picks up a stray paper on the floor. It appears to be a page ripped from a children’s book. She tosses it away without a second thought.

The next room is cold. Hilda shivers as a cold burst of air hits her. This room also lies in ruin. The window is smashed open, letting the autumn air blow in. A sharp gust of wind disturbs the dust layered on the ground. Hilda quickly shuts the door, accidentally ripping the doorknob out. Thank goodness she is on the right side.

One more room before she gives up completely. Hilda chooses the last room. It has the nicest door as if someone has repaired it recently. She puts her hand on the knob and takes a deep breath. She counts to three and swings the door open. This room feels different to her. It is decorated, complete with a rug to accent everything. The bed remains in one piece, with a drape to hide it. Hilda flashes her light in the room. That’s when she sees them. The mysterious person from before, standing on the edge of a balcony. The moonlight illuminates them.

“Hey!” Hilda calls out to them, fighting the feeling of danger in her stomach. Perhaps this is the wrong decision, but she already made it. Adrenaline does weird things to the mind.

The figure turns to look at her. They take a step back, wanting to bolt, but hesitating to do so. “You shouldn’t be here. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Hilda inches forward. “Then don’t hurt me.”

“I told you, I can’t control myself.”

“Why?”

The figure sighs. “Do you know why this house is blocked off?”

“To keep us out?”

“To protect you from me.”

“That doesn’t explain anything. Why are you here? Are you the person in that painting?” She is met with silence. She can hear her own heart pounding in her chest.

Hilda hopes the others won’t catch up. She takes a deep breath. “Do you have a name?”

The figure hesitates. “Marianne.”

“Is she in here?” A muffled voice comes from behind the closed door. Footsteps approach. The door opens, revealing Claude and Ignatz.

“There you are!” Claude runs over to the girl.

“What is this room?” Ignatz gasps. He starts taking pictures of everything. “This looks lived in.”

Hilda glances to the balcony. Marianne has since disappeared, leaving the balcony doors open. A harsh gust of wind blows through the room. Papers fly off the desk, scattering on the floor. Ignatzs starts picking them up. He sets them back on the desk.

“H-hey, Claude?” Ignatz calls out, his voice shaky.

“Yeah?”

“Does ink dry out?”

“Um, yes?” He seems confused by the question.

“This was written recently.”

“What?” Claude rushes over to Ignatz. He runs his hand along the book sitting open on the desk. “Oh my god.”

“What is it?” Hilda peeks over his shoulder.

“It’s a diary. This entry is from today.” Claude flips through the book. “Let’s take this back to my place.”

By the time they’re done exploring, the sun peeks over the horizon. Lysithea yawns, barely able to keep her eyes open. She leans against Leonie as they walk. Claude leads the way since his phone is the only one left with battery. Hilda looks one last time at the house as they leave. She catches a glimpse of a person in the window. A pair of eyes stare at her as she continues walking. Part of her wants to wave, but she decides not to.

——


	2. Chapter 2

The group settles at Claude’s apartment at the end of the night. Morning creeps closer. Lorenz grumbles when they wake him up. He broods in the living room as the rest finally settle down. The adrenaline wears off fast. The crash hits everyone hard. Hilda can barely keep her eyes open. Lysithea leans against Leonie, barely able to keep her eyes open. Leonie pets her hair idly.

“Please tell me you’re all leaving soon.” Lorenz groans. “I love you guys, but it’s nearly 3 in the morning, and I have work tomorrow.”

“They’re leaving soon. Promise.” Claude says, “Leonie lives close by. She’s taking Lysithea with her. Raphael and Ignatz are gonna walk from here. They live just down the street.”

They negotiate who is going where for a while longer. Soon, the apartment is empty once more. Only Hilda remains. Lorenz heads back to bed.

“You can have the guest room.” He shuts the door behind him.

“Ooh, harsh.” Hilda shakes her head.

“It’s okay. I deserve it.” Claude lets out a soft laugh. “I can take the couch if you want the bed.”

“We’re both adults here. That bed’s big enough for two. Plus, it’s cold out.”

“You’re smarter than you let on, Hilda.”

Hilda steals one of Claude’s shirts to sleep in. They settle into the bed, still somehow awake. Hilda stares at her phone charging on the nightstand. Her mind wanders, thinking of the night’s adventure. She thinks about that girl and how she helped her before trying to hurt her. Claude thumbs through the girl’s diary like it’s a light reading.

“Do you ever stop reading?” Hilda teases, flipping back over.

“Never. This is much too interesting to put down.”

“You’re starting to sound like Lindhardt.” The girl rolls her eyes. “What’s so interesting about some girl’s diary?”

“You mean a diary of a girl who supposedly died a century ago, yet somehow is still writing a book?”

“Yeah. Sounds boring.”

“Well, it has a lot of detail. There’s an entry for every single day.”

“How far back does it go?”

“Far.” Claude thumbs to the front of the book. “It seems she started writing this when she was a young adult. Maybe our age.”

“Still sounds kinda boring.”

“Don’t knock it until you read it. It wouldn’t kill you to try reading for once.” He leans over to turn off the light. “Goodnight, Hilda.”

Claude falls asleep quickly. Hilda has more trouble finding sleep. She stares blankly at the wall. A street light glows against the blinds, leaving lines on the floor. The wind picks up. Hilda listens to the trees rustling in the wind. Claude snores next to her, ruining the calm atmosphere. Her eyes fall to the book on the nightstand. Curiosity gets the better of her.

Slowly, she sits up. The bed creaks, making Claude stir. Hilda freezes, waiting for the boy to settle before moving again. She slips out of the bed, sneaking to the other side. The book sits on the nightstand before her. The temptation overwhelms her. She snatches it, letting it fall open to a random page.

February 21?  
Winter is my least favorite time of the year. The days blend into each other. Everything is cold and empty. All the animals are gone, except for the occasional deer. I am sorry, deer.

Hilda flips to another page. She squints, trying to read in the dim light from the window.

June 9?  
I am regretting my decision to write something in this book every day. I never know what to write. My life is so boring. I never know what to say. I fear if I stop, I will lose myself completely.

The flickering street lamp makes it difficult to read further. Her eyes strain trying to read on. Still, Hilda loses herself in the words. Her heart breaks for this stranger. Some passages horrify her, making her turn the page immediately. She reads until her eyes refuse to stay open. She falls into her pillow and falls into a deep sleep.

——

Hilda awakens to an empty bed. She blinks the grogginess out of her eyes. Slowly, the world comes back into focus. She can hear Claude in the other room talking to Lorenz. Despite her body’s complaints, she forces herself out of bed.

Claude and Lorenz sit at the table drinking tea together. Lorenz is much happier after a night’s sleep. Claude seems somewhat alive compared to Hilda. No matter how much he drinks the night before, he always seems to be able to beat his hangover miraculously. Or at least he is good at hiding his headache. Hilda, on the other hand, feels and looks like death. She slumps into a chair on the table.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Claude coos at her.

“Shut up.” Hilda rubs her face to alleviate her headache.

“I’m guessing you’re not going to class today?”

“What was your first clue?” The girl groans. She reaches for the pot of tea.

“You can stay here if you want.” Her friend offers.

“As much as I want to, I need to get home.” Hilda can only imagine the amount of texts her parents left her last night. This is a problem for sober Hilda… later. She slumps out of her chair and heads back to the guest room.

Her clothes sit in a haphazard pile on the floor. She holds up her torn stockings and sighs. Hopefully, Claude won’t notice a missing pair of sweatpants. And a shirt. And a jacket.

The book still sits where she tiredly dropped it last night. It lies open. Hilda stares at it a moment. Memories come flooding back. Guilt claws at the back of her throat. She quickly swipes it and stuffs it deep in her bag.

\----

The autumn air chills Hilda. She rubs her hands together for warmth. A gust of wind blows down the street. Leaves fly through the air. Hilda listens to music as she walks, tuning herself out from the world around her. She is too exhausted to care about anything except the cold. She passes by the edge of the woods where they explored last night. Hilda looks up, searching for a glimpse of the abandoned house on the hill. Even with the trees bare, it still cannot be seen. Maybe the house never existed in the first place. This is all some fever dream. Hilda could wake up at any moment.

Part of her wonders what would happen if she came back. She stands there a moment longer, playing with the thought. Would Marianne still be there? She shakes it out her head, deciding the whole thing silly.

Her house welcomes her with warmth the second she steps in. Hilda sighs with relief and rushes upstairs before any of her family can see her. Once in her room, she lets herself sink to the floor. She pulls her hood up and lies on the floor, basking in the heat. Her mind shuts off for a beautiful minute. Even on the hardwood floor, she finds comfort.

A harsh knock tears her from her fantasy.

“Hilda?” Her brother calls out to her. He opens the door, knocking his sister in the head. “Oh, sorry.”

“Holst! Why are you bothering me?”

“Because you’re my little sister, and I care about you.”

“Ew.”

“You’re wearing Claude’s clothes.”

“Holst, I have a hangover. Leave me alone.”

The boy laughs. “I know. I promise I won’t tell dad. Have a nice sleep.”

He shuts the door quietly behind him. Hilda decides it is time to upgrade to her bed. The fluffy sheets engulf her. She melts into her pillow and falls asleep immediately. Everything is perfect until a nightmare sneaks into her unconcious. Her body floats in an inky darkness. Suddenly, she is strapped to a table, with two doctors looking over her. Their red eyes peer into her. Hilda strains herself against the bindings. Her tries are futile. She cannot move. Her mouth refuses to open. Her eyes cannot close.

Hilda wakes up with a startle. Her heart pounds out of her chest. An uneasy feeling sits in her stomach. The images of her nightmare begin to blur in her mind. Slowly, her breathing calms. She clutches at her blanket for comfort. Maybe she can stay up instead.

\----

Hilda sees Claude in class the next day. They sit next to each other toward the back. Hilda slumps over on the desk, half asleep.

“You okay, Hilda?” Claude asks. “You look like you haven’t slept.”

“I stayed up watching Netflix all night.” The girl tries to laugh it off casually.

Claude looks at his friend with concern. He does not buy her story. “Is there something you wanna talk about? I haven’t seen you like this in a while.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Do you wanna come over to my place and watch bad movies? That always cheers you up.”

She supposes it would be better than sitting at home trying to stay awake on her own. “That would be nice.”

The pair head to Claude’s apartment after their class. A sweet smell wafts throughout the apartment. Lorenz stands in the kitchen wearing a pink apron, pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven. Claude follows the smell into the kitchen.

“These smell so good.” He reaches over Lorenz’s shoulder to take a cookie.

The boy slaps his hand away. “It’s still hot. You’ll burn yourself.”

“Fine. I’ll wait. Wanna join us for a movie?”

“Depends on which movie.” Lorenz answers.

“Die Hard?”

“Pass.” Lorenz walks away to set the tray on the counter.

“Oh c’mon, Lorenz. We can watch a cheesy romance movie.”

He turns his attention back to Claude. “Which one?”

“I don’t know. Uh, Twilight? It double counts as a Halloween movie too.”

“Twilight?” Hilda snorts. “Is that even on Netflix?”

“We own the DVD,” Claude says casually.

“Since when?”

“Since the movie came out.”

“Claude, we’ve been friends for years, and you’re now telling me you bought Twilight on DVD?”

“You never noticed?”

“I- You know what, let’s fucking watch Twilight.” Hilda plops onto the couch.

Claude pops the DVD into the player. The television flickers on. The boy sits back on the couch and waits for the movie to load in. Lorenz eventually joins them on the couch, bringing a tray of cookies with him. Claude helps himself. Hilda leans in to grab a cookie. The gooey chocolate melts in her mouth. Nothing beats fresh cookies right out of the oven.

“How are they?” Lorenz wonders, gauging their reactions to his cooking.

“Amazing.” Hilda answers, taking another one.

“What she said,” Claude says through a mouthful.

The movie begins. The group quiets down. Of course, the movie is still bad after all these years. Claude bursts out laughing through the baseball scene.

“I would pay money to see vampires play baseball in real life. God, could you imagine if vampires were real, and they had their own league of sports?” He snorts.

“If vampires were real they would have better things to do.” Lorenz rolls his eyes.

“But Lorenz.” The other boy reasons. “Professional vampire hockey. Or football! Football would be hilarious.”

Even Hilda catches herself smiling at their antics.

Once the movie ends, Claude immediately starts up the second movie. Hilda finds herself trapped into watching all three movies. All are worse than the one before. Hilda hops up as soon as the credits roll.

“I’ve seen enough bad movies for one day,” she says. She stretches her back.

Claude pouts. “But I still have Interview with a Vampire!”

“We can watch it some other time. I’m feeling much better now, Claude.”

“Alright. Will I see you in class tomorrow?”

“Unfortunately yes.”

By the time she leaves, night falls over the neighborhood. The street lights flicker on as the last drops of light sink into the night sky. Hilda wishes she brought a thicker coat. A gust of wind chills her. She walks faster, wanting to get out of the cold as soon as possible. Again, she passes by the edge of the woods. Her mind wanders to that fated night. She needs answers. She takes a deep breath and steps into the woods. Leaves crunch under her feet with every step as she walks into the cold night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: the math in this chapter is not that good

Hilda treks through the woods, trying desperately not to get lost. Last time she was here, she was mildly inebriated. As the night goes on, the air gets colder. Hilda regrets her choice of wear. Her jacket does little to protect her from the wind. Part of her wants to turn back to avoid freezing to death, but she is almost there. The house looms overhead. Once at the top of the hill, she catches her breath. She finds the hole in the fence from last time. Doubt fills her head with every step. Soon, she stands in front of the door, not sure if she should go in. Her feet stay frozen in place as her imagination runs wild. What lies beyond this door?

No going back now. Her heart pounds out of her chest as she turns the handle. Slowly, the heavy door pushes open. She is met with the same empty house from before. Nothing has changed since then. The floor creaks with each step.

“Marianne?” The girl calls out. She dares walk further. “It’s me, Hilda.”

Nervousness eats at her stomach. She regrets coming alone. She pulls out her phone. Her finger hovers over Claude’s number. What’s Claude going to do? How can she explain all this to him? She has no good reason for being there. She sighs and closes out of the phone app, deciding to use it as a flashlight instead. A creaking catches her attention. She turns to the stairs. She takes a deep breath before carefully climbing up the staircase. The boards bend under her weight.

“Marianne?” She calls again. Still, no answer. “Please come out. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to give you something.”

She reaches the top of the steps. Her eyes wander to the portrait on the wall. It remains the same. The face is still violently scratched out. She catches a subtle movement out of the corner of her eye . She turns around to come face to face with Marianne.

“You came back,” she says with no trace of emotion in her voice. Her sudden presence takes Hilda by surprise. She stumbles backwards, nearly tripping down the stairs. Marianna grabs her by the waist to steady her.

Hilda can feel her hands shaking. She hopes Marianna cannot sense her nervousness. “Of course I came back. We weren;t done talking.”

“I told you not to come back.” Marianne reminds her.

“Did you? I didn’t hear that part.”

“Are you deaf or just dumb?”

“I’m persistent.”

“I could kill you, you know.”

Hilda ignores the pounding in her chest. “But you haven’t. Why haven’t you?”

The other girl pauses, thrown off by the question. Hilda was not expecting tears. Marianne sniffles. “You’re right. I can’t do anything right. I can’t even keep people out of my own house. I really am good for nothing.”

Hilda suddenly fills with concern. She takes a step forward. “Don’t say that about yourself. None of it is true. I don’t think you’re bad at anything. I think you’re really nice.”

“You don’t know anything about me.” Marianna shies away from her.

“I don’t, but I would like to. I read some of your diary.”

The girl freezes. “You’re the one that took it.”

“I did.” Hilda apologizes. “I’m really sorry. That’s why I brought it back.”

She pulls the book out of her bag and hands it to the girl.

Marianne quickly takes it and hugs it to her chest. “You should go.”

“But I thought we were getting somewhere.” Hilda frowns.

“I appreciate you returning my book. I just need some space. Alone. Before I hurt you.”

Hilda catches a red gleam in her eye. An uneasy feeling sits in her stomach.

“I’ll go. Can I come back another day?”

“Maybe.”

“Okay. I promise I’ll come back for you.”

\----

By the time she gets home, she is freezing. The door is locked. She stands on the front porch digging through her purse. Nothing. They disappeared from existence. Hilda groans with frustration. Quickly, she texts Holst while bouncing on her feet to stay warm. The answer does not come fast enough. She resorts to her least favorite method.

Luckily, the backyard fence is open. She slips in, hoping the neighbors are not awake. She looks up at the tree next to her window. It stands strong after all these years. She grips the lowest branch, pulling herself up. Carefully, she stands up, hugging the base of the tree. A branch extends to her window. A gust of wind shakes the branches. Hilda grips tight to the tree as she inches toward the window. Her window easily slides open. She falls inside and lies on the ground, just happy to be home.

\----

Hilda wakes up to the sun glaring in her eyes. It shines through the window, lighting up her whole room. The girl rolls over. She needs more sleep. Her eyes refuse to stay open. Just five more minutes. Her head feels heavy. She coughs.

“Hilda?” The door opens a crack. Holst peeks in. “Uh, why are you sleeping on the floor?”

“Don’t judge my life choices.” Hilda groans. She sniffles. Her nose is stuffy.

“I’m not judging. I’m just… confused,” her brother says, “Are you sick?”

“I’m not sick. I just have a cold.” The girl groans.

“Where were you last night?”

“Out.”

“Like outside?” Holst wonders.

Hilda sneezes loudly. “Don’t worry about it, Holst. Just let me sleep longer.”

“You’re definitely sick.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“So you’re not going to class?”

“I’m too sick to go to class.” The girl answers through a cough. Her chest burns. “Claude will get me the notes.”

“Do you need me to get you anything?” Holst offers.

“NyQuil. Or a bullet to the head. Either works.”

“I’ll get you the NyQuil.”

The door quietly closes behind him. Hilda sighs. Her back aches from sleeping on the floor. Carefully, she stands up. Bad idea. Her head spins, making it hard to stand up. She crashes into her bed. After another coughing fit, she falls asleep.

\----

Her phone vibrates. Hilda is too tired to look. It vibrates again. And again. It buzzes relentlessly on top of her nightstand. Finally, Hilda rolls over to see who it is. Claude. Of course.

“I’m too sick to go to class, Claude.” She answers, already knowing why he called. “I just needed an extra hour of sleep. And a lot of NyQuil. I think I took too much. I can’t feel my head.”

“Tell that to your math grade! We have a test next class!” He scolds her.

“Math is dumb. It has nothing to do with my major anyway.”

“Fashi0n design uses math, Hilda. You have to make measurements to design clothes that fit. Besides, it’s a required class to graduate.”

“Don’t use your smart brain logic on me. I’m too sick.”

Claude sighs. “I’m gonna come over and run through the homework with you. Promise me you’ll be at least a little alive by the time I get there?”

“Can we do it tomorrow? I’m dying.” Hilda asks.

“We need to at least get the homework done tonight.” He haggles.

“Ugh, fine. I’m gonna give you my cold.”

\----

There is a knock at the door.

“Come in.” Hilda calls.

The door opens. Claude peeks in. “Are you decent? I brought Leonie.”

“She’s seen me like this before. Let her in.”

Leonie steps into the room. “Hey, Hilda. I brought you tea.”

“This is just what I needed.” The girl graciously takes the cup. The liquid burns down her throat. It feels so good.

“So you caught a cold on Halloween too then?” Leonie laughs.

“You got one too?”

“Oh no. I’m fine. Lysithea, however, not so much. I offered her my jacket, and she said no. So that’s all her fault.”

“I’m surprised everyone didn’t catch something that night,” Claude says, sitting down on the floor.

“You never get sick, Claude.” Hilda rolls her eyes. “It’s unfair.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m a vampire.” The boy jokes.

“You’re not! You love garlic.”

“I could never be a vampire.” Leonie shakes her head sadly. “I’d rather die than give up garlic.”

“Aren’t vampires technically dead?” Claude adds in.

“You know what I meant.” Leonie huffs. “If I ever turned into a vampire, you’d find me dead with an empty box of garlic pizza.”

Hilda snorts. “I’d like to see that.”

“As much as I want to see where this conversation goes, we have homework to do,” Claude says, tossing his backpack on the floor. The textbooks hit the rug with a soft thud. He plops down next to them and starts sorting through the work.

“I made you a copy of the notes.” Claude hands Hilda a stack of papers. “Those will help with the homework.”

“You’ll need them.” Leonie adds. “That whole class went over my head today.”

“That’s why I brought you along.”

“What was it about?” Hilda asks, trying to feel more alive. She joins them on the floor.

“Logs.” The other girl answers. “Whatever those are.”

“Logs aren’t hard,” Claude says, “Well, they look hard, but they’re not once you know what you’re doing. It’s the opposite of exponentials.”

He hands his friend a textbook. Hilda thumbs through it. Everything seems to be a foreign language. The cold does not help at all. “What the hell is this?”

“I’ll take you through it step by step.” He points at the first equation. “You see how the number on bottom is a two? And we have to get to eight?”

“Yeah…?” The words go over her head.

“How many two’s do you have to multiply together to get to eight?”

“Three!” Leonie answers, suddenly understanding. “Oh, this makes sense now.”

“That’s it?” Hilda pretends to have a clue of what he is talking about.

“Basically. But you need to understand how it works, and then how to reduce them when we put them in equations.” The boy leans over her shoulder with his notebook in hand. “We’ll start easy. Let’s go through the first section together.”

Hilda groans. “Can’t you just do it for me? I’m too sick for this.”

“We’re doing it together.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

They power through the first section. Claude has a magical way with words. Everything seems easier once he explains it (and does a few questions for Hilda). Hilda slowly understands the material, but she does not want to do it. Her mind clouds up. All her body can concentrate on is her cold. Leonie bites her tongue as she concentrates on a problem. Hilda can see the gears turning in her head. Smoke starts to pour out of her ears.

“I don’t get it.” Leonie drops her notebook on the floor. “I can’t get it to work.”

“You isolated the log?” Hilda picks up the other girl’s notebook.

“Yeah.”

“Any numbers next to x?”

“Yep.” Leonie nods.

“Did you divide correctly.”

“I- let me see that.” She grabs the notebook back. Claude glances over her work.

“You forgot to flip the fraction over when you multiplied.” Hilda points at the subtle mistake.

“Good eye.” Claude compliments her. “You can be really smart when you want to be.”

The girl shrugs. “Lucky guess.”

They move on to the rest of the homework. Hilda tries her best, but her sickness bogs her down. Her body demands sleep. Leonie powers through the rest of her homework, just wanting it to be done. Hilda flops onto her bed once she finishes.

“You okay there, Hilda?” Claude asks with concern.

“I’m tired.”

“I can see that. Want us to leave now?”

“Or you could watch me sleep. If that’s what you’re in to.”

“I got places to be,” Leonie says, heading out the door, “Hope you feel better soon, Hilda!”

Claude turns to walk out the door. He stands in the open doorway and looks back. “By the way, did you take my book?”

“What book?” Hilda asks.

“The diary from the house.”

“Nope. Why?”

“It went missing,” her friend says.

“You mean you lost it?” Hilda corrects him.

“No way I lost it. I set it on my nightstand, and the next day it disappears. I haven’t seen it anywhere in the house.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, dude. I’m sure it’ll turn up eventually.” The girl shrugs.

Claude sighs. “I hope so. I wanted to read more of it. Learn some stuff. Well, I’ll see you around, Hilda. Feel better soon.”

The door shuts quietly behind him, leaving Hilda alone. She flops back into her pillows and lets out a deep breath. Her chest burns from trying to breathe. She wishes she had more tea, but that would mean going downstairs. Instead, she decides to sleep longer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first 10k words are always the hardest. heres to hoping the rest comes out a lot easier!

The rest of the week goes by terribly. Hilda goes to class, (Claude dragged her with him) and suffers through her sickness. She sits in the classroom, staring down at her math test. She glances over at Claude who seems fine. He has a smile on his face as he works through a problem. It makes Hilda even sicker. She turns back to her paper. It sits blank before her. She knows how to do this, but her head hurts. The pain in her chest is nearly unbearable. She takes a long drink of water to keep from coughing up her lungs. Why is she putting herself through this torture? She can practically hear the clock ticking. She has to do something. She looks up at the professor. He leans back in his chair reading a book. She glances over at Claude’s test. He sits close enough she can make out his answers.

Claude stands up to hand in his test. Hilda nearly yells at him, but remembers where she is. She watches him with pleading eyes as he walks out of the classroom. Fuck. They spent so much time studying all for nothing. She looks back down at her paper, hoping it magically wrote itself while she was gone. Her eyes can barely focus long enough to read the equation. She muddles through the test, nose running and throat burning. Only her and one other student remain. The professor checks his watch. Hilda glances up at the clock. Time is against her now. Her hand works overtime to answer every question. She finishes in record time (not really). She stands up to hand in her paper. Her footsteps echo in the empty classroom. The professor glances up as she hands in her paper.

“See you next week,” he says, barely paying attention to her. He starts packing up his stuff as she walks out.

Hilda stumbles out of the classroom, finally free of her prison. Claude sits outside in a chair. He plays on his phone, probably texting Lorenz. He glances up when the door opens.

“Hey! You did it.” He smiles when he sees his friend. “How did it go?”

“Am I dead yet? I think I’m stuck in purgatory.” Hilda answers exasperated.

“Close. It was math class.”

“I’m never doing that again.”

“I’ll see you in class on Monday.” He pats her on the head. “Besides, I’m sure you did fine.”

The girl groans. “I don’t care how I did. I just want to go home and sleep for a hundred years.”

“You’ll be over this cold soon,” Claude says with hope.

They start walking down the hall. Students wander about, heading to classes. Others study in nooks. The sky is cloudy around campus. The forecast threatened the first snow of the season. Hilda sinks deeper into her hoodie as they walk outside.

“Think it’s gonna snow?” Claude wonders out loud.

“It better not.” Hilda answers. “If it does, I’m gonna find the CEO of weather and fight him.”

The boy laughs. “I’d pay to see that.”

“I’m gonna do it.”

“You should! Maybe we’ll see the sun for once.”

They pass by the library. Hilda only goes in there to print her essays. Supposedly, there’s books in there. Hilda has yet to see them, despite Claude’s nagging.

“I still haven’t found that book.” Claude mentions.

“You’re still on that?” Hilda asks.

“It has to be somewhere,” her friend says, “Are you sure you don’t have it? Maybe it fell into your bag before you left.”

“I don’t have it.” Not exactly a lie. The girl shrugs. “Maybe it’s a magic book, and it teleported away. Or your cursed to lose books.”

“There was so much I haven’t read yet!”

A familiar face walks out of the library. Ignatz stares at his phone as he hurriedly walks. He holds a large book under his arm.

“Watch out!” Claude pulls Hilda out of the way.

Ignatz freezes before he can crash into the couple. “Oh! Hilda! Claude! Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Iggy! Long time no see.” The boy smiles at him. “Reading anything good?”

“Actually, yes.” He slides his phone back into his pocket and shows off his book. “I’ve been reading up on the town’s history. The library keeps all sorts of old documents.”

“Anything in particular you’re trying to find?”

“I’m researching the Von Edmund family. The ones with the house. The creepy stuff.”

Claude lights up with curiosity. “Walk with us. I wanna hear it.”

“Did you know the father was a doctor? Or, at least what could be considered a doctor at the time.”

“A doctor? Really?”

Ignatz nods. “There’s a lot of documentation on his work. His family was very well known in the town. There’s old newspaper articles and stuff.”

“Were they well liked?” Claude wonders.

“In the beginning, yes. The father saved a lot of lives, but as he got older, he started to go out in public less. Saw less patients. Only let a few patients into his home. Then, stopped leaving his house entirely.”

Hilda listens quietly.

Ingatz continues rambling. “According to the local news, his wife got sick. The father tried everything he could to save her, then closed off his house entirely. Only a single servant was allowed to leave to get food for them.”

“Weird. Didn’t he have a daughter?” Claude asks. “The one whose diary I took.”

The boy lights up. “The daughter is a different story entirely. She’s a mystery. The father never let her leave the house often. There are no pictures of her anywhere. I wonder what she looks like. I tried drawing a picture based on descriptions and pictures of the parents. Do you think you could lend me her diary, Claude?”

Hilda scoffs. “Why? Are you in love with her?”

“What? No! It’s for research.” Ignatz blushes a deep red. He adjusts his glasses.

“I think someone has a crush!” Claude coos.

“I don’t!”

“I’m just teasing you, bud. Don’t worry about it.” The boy jabs him in the side.

The conversation gets Hilda thinking about the house on the hill. She spaces out as the two boys talk longer. The more she learns, the more confused she gets.

\----

“Why am I doing this?” Hilda talks to herself as she finds herself back in the woods. Snow starts to float down from the thick clouds above. At least this time she remembered proper clothing. Her breath comes out in small clouds. Before she knows it, she is on top of the hill. The familiar house comes into sight. A cloud of smoke emits from the chimney.

She takes a deep breath and makes her way up to the doorstep. This time, she decides to knock. To her surprise, the door opens. A familiar girl peeks out.

“You really came back,” she says with no excitement in her voice. At least she seems a bit surprised.

“I did.” Hilda smiles.

“You’re really not scared of me?”

“How can I be scared of such a sweet girl like you?” The girl answers.

Marianne swings the door open. “Come in before you freeze to death.”

“Does this mean we’re friends now?” Hilda steps into the house out of the cold. However, the house is not exactly warm. She keeps her thick coat on and tugs her scarf looser around her neck.

“You want to be my friend?”

“Well, yeah. You seem nice, and it’s gotta be lonely living up here alone.” Hilda smiles at her. “Just wish it didn’t take so long to get here.”

“I don’t understand you, Hilda.” Marianne sighs.

“Mind if I warm up by the fire? Your house is kinda cold.”

“Be my guest. I’m not exactly prepared to have company over.” She watches as the other girl sits by the fire.

The fire immediately warms Hilda. She finally starts to defrost. She turns back to Marianne. “Are you just gonna stand there? Come sit.”

The other girl seems confused by the statement. Still, she sits down next to Hilda. She leaves a decent space between the two. “What now?”

“Anything!” Hilda responds. “Actually, I brought you something.”

She digs through her bag. Eventually, she finds what she is looking for. She pulls out a handful of pens and shows them off to Marianne.

“What are those?” She asks, taking a pen and examining it.

“That’s a pen.”

“It is not.”

“These are what pens look like now.” Hilda explains. She pulls a notebook out of her bag to demonstrate. She flips to a blank page and writes her name on top. “See? Easy. Now you try it.”

Tentatively, Marianne puts pen to paper. She slowly scripts her own name next to Hilda’s. Her hand moves steady as she writes. Hilda notices her handwriting is a lot nicer than it is in the journal.

“This is much easier. It just writes forever?” Marianne starts writing her name all over the page.

“It won’t last forever, but I got you a few so when it runs out, you already have a new one.”

“This is such a thoughtful gift. Thank you, Hilda.” Marianne smiles at her. It warms Hilda better than the fire. She scooches closer to watch Marianne write. The fire crackles. They sit quietly enjoying the fire. Marianne continues practicing her penmanship. At this point, Hilda considers her math notebook as good as gone. Marianne enjoys it too much. Time passes by quickly. Hilda suddenly remembers she has to go home eventually. She pulls out her phone to check the time. It lights up the dark room.

“What’s that?” Marianne stares at the light, a look of worry on her face.

“My phone.”

“Why is it so small?”

“They’re small now.”

“And it has pictures on it now?” The girl squints at the bright screen.

“Phones do all kinds of things. You can text people, use the internet, play games.”

Marianne stares at her dumbfounded.

Hilda leans over to show her. “Okay so text is like mail. You type out a letter and instantly send it to someone else with a phone.”

“That does not make sense.” Marianne frowns. “Show me.”

Hilda opens up her text messages. A few unread ones pop up on her screen. She chooses to ignore them. She decides to text her brother. Their chat opens on the phone. “So I type with this keyboard and hit send.”

She sends her brother a text saying ‘hey loser’.

“Who’s dog is that?” Marianne gasps when the girl’s brother responds with a picture of their dog.

“That’s my brother’s dog. He’s a sweetie.”

“Can I meet him? What’s his name?”

“His name is Thor.” Hilda is thrown off by the question. “And I- um, I can’t exactly bring him here. You’d have to come visit my house.”

Marianne frowns. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not? My parents are kinda okay.”

“I cannot leave this house.”

“Are you cursed to live in this house forever?” Hilda wonders.

“What? No.”

“Well, what is it then?”

Marianne pauses as she chooses her words carefully. She stares at the fire. “I am a vampire. If I go out into the public, I might hurt someone.”

“You’re so stuck on hurting people, yet you don’t seem like a violent person.”

“I don’t try to be. I just get hungry and lose control of myself.”

“Then, we won’t let you starve. Problem solved.” Hilda tries to reason with her.

“I still don’t think leaving is a good idea,” the girl says quietly. She hugs herself.

Hilda puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. Marianne leans into the touch. “I can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. All I’m saying is, if you want to try, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’re safe.”

“Why are you so nice to me?”

“Because you’re a sweet person, Marianne.”

There is a short moment of silence between them. “Can you show me more pictures of dogs?”

Hilda laughs. “Sure.”

\----

Hilda returns home, her heart still pounding from her adventure. A dark house greets her when she walks in. She throws off her shoes and coat and rushes upstairs. Her phone charges by her bed while she takes a hot shower to calm down. Once out, she throws on a pair of pajamas and dives into her bed. Her wet towel falls to the floor. She grabs her phone to text Holst.

Hilda: u up? gotta ask u something

Holst: I’m literally in the room next to you.

Hilda: dont feel like getting up

Her door creaks open, and her brother peeks in. “What do you want?”

“Do you think mom and dad would let someone come to visit for a while?” Hilda wonders.

“Like Claude? You already know mom loves Claude. I’m surprised he doesn’t already live here.”

“I mean like a foreign exchange student.”

Holst raises an eyebrow at her. “You want to host a foreign exchange student?”

“Yeah. Is that weird? It’s weird, isn’t it-” The girl suddenly feels very self conscious.

“No. Not at all,” he says, “I just never thought you would be interested in that. I’m actually kinda proud of you right now.”

“Ew. Stop that. Don’t make it weird.” Hilda gags. She throws a pillow at him.

He lets it smack him in the face. He picks it up off the floor and gently tosses it back on the bed. “Would you like me to bring it up to mom and dad tomorrow?”

“Maybe. Tell them it’s your idea.”

“Will do.”

“Now leave me alone.” Hilda sinks into her blankets.

“See you tomorrow.” He quietly shuts the door behind him, leaving Hilda alone with her thoughts.

She lies in bed staring at the ceiling. Hilda’s mind races. Perhaps this is the wildest idea she ever had, and she has no one to talk to about it. Especially Claude. At least, not yet. She looks around her room. It lies in a disorganized mess. Maybe she should clean first.


	5. Chapter 5

Hilda never thought she would be grateful for the long autumn nights. She used to hate the sun setting at 5pm. Now, she is grateful for it.

The sun starts to set early. Long shadows spread down the street. Hilda packs her bag for her journey. As she walks out the door, Holst stops her.

“Where are you going?” He asks.

“Out.” She answers simply.

He won’t take that for an answer. He crosses his arms, attempting to look stern. “You’ve been heading out around the same time almost every other day the past couple weeks. You think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Mom and dad haven’t” Hilda shrugs.

“Mom and dad don’t notice entire bottles going missing from the liquor cabinet.”

She shushes her brother. “They still haven’t found out! Don’t say it out loud.”

“All I’m saying is something’s obviously up. Are you seeing someone?”

“I’m not seeing anyone, Holst. Shut up.” Hilda hates that he even asked the question.

“Drugs?”

“No!”

Holst searches for another explanation. “Are you secretly going to night school?”

“Why would I go to extra school? That’s gross.”

“Aha! So you really are taking your classes seriously! I knew it!”

“I’m leaving.” She slams the door behind her.

\----

Hilda lies on Marianne’s bed scrolling through pictures on her phone. Marianne lies next to her, watching intently.

“So this is Claude’s dog, Hoagie. She’s a little bastard and I love her.” Hilda shows the girl pictures of Claude’s fat dog. A text from Claude pops up on her screen. She quickly swipes it away.

“I did not know dogs could get that fat.” Marianne is blown away by how obese this dog is. “Do you have any more dogs?”

“Lemme see.” She flips through her camera roll.

“Who is that?”

It stops on a photo of her and her brother. “That’s my brother, Holst. He’s annoying.”

“He looks just like you.”

“Was that an insult?”

“No! Your brother is kinda cute.”

Hilda sits up immediately. “What?”

“Did I say something wrong?” Marianne looks worried.

“Holst is my brother! He’s gross. Boys are gross.” Hilda’s inner ten year old jumps out.

“Boys are gross.” The girl agrees. “That is one thing that has stayed the same.”

Hilda bursts out laughing. Suddenly, a door slams below them. Both girls freeze. They stare at each other in horror. Floorboards creak below them. Hilda can hear her own heart beating out of her chest.

Marianne quietly slips off the bed. “We can’t be here.”

“Maybe it’s just a squirrel?” Hilda lies to herself.

Voices echo down the corridor. Panic fills Hilda. Her hands start to shake. Marianne seems oddly calm. She takes the girl by the hand. “We are going to have to jump.”

“Jump?” Hilda worries. “I’ll break my legs.”

“Do not worry.” The girl picks up up effortlessly. Before Hilda can get a grasp of what is happening, they are on the ground below. Marianne sets the girl down carefully on her feet. Hilda leans onto her for balance.

“We have to keep going,” Marianne says, pulling her toward the gate. Voices can be heard from inside the house. A flashlight glares through the dusty windows.

They run deep into the woods as far as their legs will carry them. Once the house is just a speck in the distance, they stop. Hilda leans against a tree to catch her breath. The adrenaline starts to wear down. Her legs ache.

“Who was that?” She wonders, still recovering from shock.

Marianne shakes her head. “I would not know. You are the only person to break into my house in a long time.”

“Wait, was it-” Hilda checks her phone. It lights up. Texts from Claude pop up on her screen. She scrolls through them all. “Oh no.”

“What is it?”

“Claude. Claude’s in there. I should have been paying attention to his texts.” She opens up the messages.

“Your friend is in my house?”

Hilda nods. “He texted me earlier to invite me to come with him. I’m so sorry, Marianne.”

“You should go.”

“Marianne, come with me. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Where?”

“My house. We’ll be safe there.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Promise.”

“Let’s go.” Marianne nods.

By the time they get to her house, it is well past midnight. All the lights in the house are off. Most of the neighborhood is fast asleep. Their feet crunch as they press into the freshly fallen snow. Hilda takes her into the backyard.

“Will you be able to climb up there?” Hilda asks.

The taller girl looks up at the tree. “Yes.”

“I’ll go first.” She carefully climbs up the tree. Her tired legs struggle to push her, but she presses on. The snowy wood makes it hard to hold on. Eventually, she slips through the window and peeks back out to motion to Marianne to follow. Despite wearing a long dress, the girl climbs up the tree with ease. Before she knows it, Marianne is standing in her dark bedroom. They let out a sigh of relief.

“So this is what modern bedrooms look like.” Marianne explores her room, picking up random objects. Hilda immediately regrets not cleaning.

“Yep. This is my room.” She laughs awkwardly, bending down to pick up a pair of stray underwear.

Marianne picks up a pair of shorts and stretches them out. “Why do these say ‘juicy’ on them?”

Hilda snatches the garment from her. Her cheeks burn up. “Those were a gift. Don’t worry about it.”

“I will not worry then.” The girl returns to searching Hilda’s room.

“Mari, wait.” Hilda stops her. “We need to disguise you before we do anything else.”

“Disguise me?”

“Yeah. No offense, I love your dresses, but you need something a bit more… clean. More modern.” Hilda starts digging through her piles of clean clothes. Garments fly across the room. Eventually, she uncovers a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. She tosses them at Marianne. “We’re kinda the same size. Well, besides height.”

The girl catches them and holds them in her hands, not sure what to do. “You want me to wear this?”

“Yeah. I won’t look if you’ll feel weird about it.”

“It is fine.” Marianne starts unabashedly undressing in front of Hilda. Her long dress falls to the floor at her feet. This girl wears so many layers. Hilda starts to lose patience as the girl unties every single knot. It takes her nearly fifteen minutes to strip down to her underwear. Hilda wants to offer her help, but is not sure if it is appropriate. Instead, she stares awkwardly at a poster on her wall. Finally, Marianne stands before her in a baggy sweatshirt and pants.

“How does it look?” The taller girl asks. “I cannot exactly see it.”

“You look cute.” Hilda gives her a thumbs up. The outfit is trashy, and she should probably give her nicer clothes. However, it is just for one night, and the girl is cute enough she can make anything look decent. Not that Hilda cares how she looks.

“What now?” Marianne questions.

“Uh, anything, I guess,” Hilda says with a shrug, “As long as we don’t leave this room. My parents don’t know you’re here.”

They end up on Hilda’s bed watching Netflix on Hilda’s laptop. Marianne stares in awe at the computer.

“You have two phones?” She pokes the screen.

“Kinda. This is a computer. I use it to watch Netflix and sometimes do my homework.”

“What is Netflix?”

“It’s movies on your computer.”

“And movies are like those videos you showed me with the cats?”

“Yeah. You’re catching on quick. What do you wanna watch?”

“More cat videos. Wait.” Her eyes go wide. She points at the screen. “Can we watch that movie?”

“Spirit?”

“That one. With the horse.”

Hilda clicks on the movie with a sigh. “Of course we can watch that one.”

Marianne watches the movie intently while Hilda tries not to fall asleep. She leans back and checks her phone. More texts from Claude pop up on her screen. She opens them and scrolls through the various pictures he sent.

Claude: u shouldve come with! check this out. 2 sets of tracks

A picture of footprints in the snow are attached. Hilda’s heart skips a beat.

Claude: someone is def living here. I think its her

Hilda: her?

Claude: marianne

Hilda: oh. did u see her?

Claude: didnt catch a glimpse but i heard something and found the footprints outside. followed them all the way to ur neighborhood. my guess is someone was there before us and marianne chased them away. havent seen anything since tho

Hilda: are u still in my neighborhood??

Claude: yeah! im w ignatz. look out ur window

Hilda smashes the pause button on the movie.

“What was that for?” Marianne frowns.

“Someone’s coming.” The girl rolls out of bed and heads over to the window. “Go hide in my closet.”

Marianne says nothing. She just nods and does as she is told. Hilda peeks outside. Two figures stand outside her window waving at her. Her phone buzzes with a phone call from Claude. Hesitantly, she picks up.

“Claude, what the hell are you doing?” She tries to keep her voice down. Things will only get worse if she wakes her brother.

“It’s like Scooby Doo out here, bro! We’re really close to finding out who this Marianne really is.”

“And what are you gonna do when you find her? She’ll kill you, bro.”

“I can take her.” Her friend assures her.

“Claude, if you die, I’m gonna kill you.”

“It’s fine, Hilda. Promise.”

“Claude.” She turns on her Mom Tone.

“We’re going home soon before someone calls the cops anyway. Don’t worry about us!”

“You better.”

“Bye, Hilda.” Claude coos.

“Later, nerds.” Hilda groans and tosses her phone on the floor. “It’s safe now, Mari.”

The girl cautiously creeps out of the closet and back onto the bed. Hilda unpauses the movie, and everything returns to normal. Marianne settles into the blankets and focuses back on the movie. She blinks back tears as Spirit gets kidnapped. Hilda casually puts an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. The girl leans into her, eyes still trained on the movie.

“Will he be okay?” She whispers.

“Of course he will. There’s always a happy ending.” Hilda yawns. Her eyes droop.

\----

Sunlight peeks through the window. Hilda groans and puts her pillow over her head to block out the sunlight. Her foot kicks her laptop off the bed. It hits the floor with a loud crash. This wakes Marianne up. She stirs and sits up.

“Hilda?” She puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Are you awake?”

“Unfortunately.” The girl answers.

“Sorry I woke you.”

“I was already awake, Mari. It’s fine.” She reaches for her phone on the floor. It sits just barely out of her reach. She hangs half off the bed, too lazy to get up. Instead, she tumbles onto the floor, taking the blankets with her.

“Are you okay, Hilda?” Marianne digs her out of the blankets.

“I’m fine.” Hilda huffs. She picks up her phone to check the time. Too early to be awake.

“So what now?”

“I’ve been thinking about that, Mari.” The girl sits upright and stretches out her back. “Do you feel safe going back to your house?”

Marianne pauses. “Not really.”

“Then, I think it would be best if you came to live with me.”

“But how would you keep me a secret from your family?”

“Here’s the trick, Marianne.” She beckons the girl to come closer. Marianne leans in. “You won’t be a secret. You’ll be a part of the family.”

“How?”

“I already came up with an elaborate lie. It’s kinda my thing.” Hilda explains. “No one will ever question who you really are. You can live your life like a normal person.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It is nice! We’ll have to buy you some new clothes first. They’ll notice if you’re only wearing my clothes.”

“I do not have money for new clothes.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll buy everything you need.”

“That is too kind. You do not need to do that for me.” Marianne shakes her head.

“Mari, it’s fine! I buy new clothes for myself all the time, my parents won’t notice a thing,” Hilda says, “And it’ll be fun!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> makeover montage incoming


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :eyes:

Hilda heads downstairs while Marianne watches another movie. The smell of bacon wafts through the house. She walks into the kitchen to see her mother cooking breakfast. Her mom looks surprised to see her.

“Good morning, sweetie! I wasn’t expecting you up so early.” She smiles at her daughter. “I’m making waffles.”

Hilda yawns and starts up the coffee machine. “Good morning.”

“Hilda? Up before noon on a weekend?” Holst gasps dramatically. “Is the world coming to an end?”

“Shut up.” The girl rolls her eyes. “I can wake up whenever I want to.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” Holst sticks a spoonful of Lucky Charms in his mouth. “So why are you really up so early?”

Hilda suddenly grows nervous. She fidgets with a hairband on her wrist. “Remember how we were talking about hosting a foreign exchange student the other day?”

“I do,” her mom says, pouring batter into the waffle maker.

“Well, I kinda maybe already already arranged for a student to come live in our house?” The girl laughs nervously. Her throat goes dry. “And she may or may not be showing up tonight.”

“Tonight?” Holst raises an eyebrow at her.

Her mom drops the measuring cup. Batter pours all over the counter. The dog rushes over to lick the floor clean. She turns around slowly.

Hilda hops up to help her clean up. “I’m sorry, mom. I wasn’t expecting an answer so fast.”

“No, Hilda, this is great!” Her mom beams.

“What?” The girl stares at her in confusion, not sure if she should believe her.

“You’re putting yourself out there! You’re applying yourself! Trying something new and trying to do good in this world. I never thought I’d see the day.” Her mom gushes. “My little Hildy is growing up.”

She squeezes her daughter in a vice grip also known as a hug. Holst snickers to himself. Hilda feels a sense of relief as she gets choked to death. Finally, her mom releases her.

“What time will she be coming? What’s her name? Tell me everything!” Her mom continues.

Hilda glances behind her to the waffles burning in the waffle maker. “Uh, her name’s Marianne, and she’ll be arriving tonight hopefully. She’s quite shy so I would appreciate if you don’t be so, um, you. Not that that’s a bad thing. I just don’t want us to overwhelm her on the first day.”

“Where’s she from?” Holst asks. He stands up to take the waffles out.

Shit. Hilda has not thought this far. In fairness, she did not expect to get to this point. “Germany.”

“Germany? Where in Germany?” Her mom wonders.

Hilda racks her brain for any town name in Germany. “France.”

Holst looks at her confused. “That’s-”

“I meant Berlin! Shut up.”

“Hilda, don’t tell your brother to shut up.”

“Mom, I’m not twelve anymore.”

“Then, act it! We gotta get this place ready for our new family member.”

“I promise I’ll help,” Hilda says, “I’ll start by cleaning my room! And cleaning the guest room sheets. Uh, I’ll do that now.”

She rushes back upstairs; her heart races. She slams the door behind her, making Marianne jumps at the sudden movement. She freezes as she stares at Hilda.

“Are you okay?” She asks the girl.

Hilda nods her head. The words can barely come out of her mouth. “I told them.”

“You what?” Marianne turns pale.

“Tonight. You’re gonna come live with us tonight. My mom wants to meet you.”

“This is really happening?”

“Yeah! We gotta get ready! Once my mom leaves for work, we can go get you some clothes. Take a shower. All that.” Hilda pulls a suitcase out of her closet. “They’re gonna love you. Are you excited?”

“I think so? I like your house. It is warm.”

The girl starts picking up her clothes off the floor. “You’re gonna love my mom. She’s a great cook, and she bakes the best chocolate chip cookies. Wait, do you even eat?”

“I can.” Marianne answers. “It doesn’t do anything, though.”

“But you’ll be able to eat with us and be fine?”

“I think so. I have not eaten human food in probably a hundred years.”

Hilda drops a pile of clothes. “You really are old, huh? I keep forgetting you’re like, a vampire.”

“I am. I just do not age.”

“For our sake, tell everyone you’re twenty one like me.”

“Really? You do not want me to tell them I am a hundred years old?”

Hilda cannot tell if the girl is joking. “Please don’t.”

“I kid.”

“Oh thank god.” She resumes picking up her clothes. Soon, she has everything collected in a single pile.

There is a knock at the door. Hilda motions for Marianne to hide. The girl runs into her closet before Hilda answers the door.

“Do you need something? She smiles innocently.

Her mom stands before her. She grins back at her. “Just wanted to give you a kiss goodbye! I’ll see you tonight! I’ll be sure to cook up something special for our new family member.”

She pecks her daughter on the cheek. Hilda feigns annoyance. “Love you too, mom. I’ll text you once we’re on the way back from the airport.”

“Bye!”

Hilda quickly shuts the door. Marianne peeks out. “That was your mom?”

“Yeah. She’s something. I love her, though.”

There is another knock at the door. Hilda groans. Marianne ducks back into the closet. Holst bursts into the room, smacking Hilda with the door.

“Sorry!” He gasps. “Didn’t know you would be right there.”

“I’m suing.” Hilda pouts.

“Oh shh, you. I already made up the guest room for you. See you tonight?”

“Duh. Thank you.”

He gives her finger guns. “Anything for my favorite sister.”

“I’m your only sister.”

“The viewers don’t know that!”

“I don’t get you at all, Holst.”

“I have a question for you.” He changes subject.

“What is it?” Hilda asks.

“Well, you know how we were talking about the foreign exchange student thing like barely last week?” He says, “And she’s arriving tonight. Seems kinda fast. How did that happen?”

“Oh, well, uh, you’re the one who always told me to work hard and seize the day. This is your fault if anything.”

Her brother squints at her. “You’ve never listened to me before.”

“I just really wanted to try this, okay? Meet new people. Learn new things. We need a change of pace in this house. I took the initiative.”

“Huh. Interesting. Either way, I’m proud of you, Hildy.” He pats her on the head. Hilda swats his hand away. “Anything that makes you clean your room.”

“I was gonna clean it anyway.” The girl huffs.

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Don’t you have work to be doing? Not here?”

“Fine. Fine. I’ll see you later!”

Hilda closes the door on him before he can finish the sentence. She sinks down to the floor and lets out a long breath.

“Finally.” She whispers to herself.

Marianne slowly inches back out. “Can I-?”

“Yes, Mari. Coast is clear.”

“That was Holst?” The girl wonders.

“Yeah.” Hilda shrugs. “He’s gross. Anyway, we have work to do.”

“Anything I can help you with?

Hilda taps her chin. “You could, uh, oh! I should show you how the shower works.”

“Shower?”

“Think of it like a bathtub you stand in. It’s cool. Follow me.”

She leads her down the hall and into the bathroom. Marianne immediately picks up the bottle of soap sitting by the sink.

“Soap in bottles? Modern times are so cool,” she says in absolute awe.

“You sound like a time traveller.” Hilda snorts.

“You have time travel too?”

“Uh, no, but there’s lots of movies about it.” Hilda adds Back to the Future to her mental checklist.

“So where is this shower?” The taller girl asks. She swings the shower door open and peeks inside. “And why is your closet made of glass?”

“That’s the shower.” Hilda leans in to turn the faucet on. Cold water flows out of the faucet. “See?”

Her friend watches in awe. “That is cool.”

“Yeah! So you just bathe in there, and come back to my room when you’re done.” Hilda pulls a towel from the closet.

“Wait. You’re leaving me?”

“You want me to watch you shower?”

“Well, no, but what if something goes wrong?”

“Nothing will go wrong. All you gotta do is turn the handle. Easy peasy!”

“Alright. I will try my best.” Marianne nods.

“So are you good on your own for a bit?”

“I believe so.”

“I’ll be in my room waiting for you. Have fun.” Hilda shuts the door quietly behind her. Hopefully, the girl will be fine working the shower by herself. Hilda returns to her room. She paces back and forth, not sure what to do with herself. She checks the time. Not even close to nighttime yet. Her heart pounds in her chest. Both excitement and nervousness claw at her stomach. Eventually, she starts tidying up. By the time she has her room cleaned, half an hour has past. The shower still runs. Hilda can hear the water. She starts to worry. She decides to go check on the girl.

“Mari? You okay in there?” She taps on the door. “If you’re still in there by the time my parents get home, we’ll have a problem.”

No answer. Hilda opens the door. Of course, the first thing she sees is Marianne naked. Quickly, she averts her eyes.

“Hello, Hilda.” She seems unphased by Hilda seeing her this way. “I was just finishing up. This shower is interesting.”

“I can tell. You’ve been in here for over half an hour. Is there even any hot water left?”

“I did not know the water could warm up,” the girl says, “I was wondering how you withstand the cold.”

“I’ll show you the warm water later. But we have shopping to get done first. C’mon and get dressed!” She throws a towel at Marianne.

It is not until they are almost out the door that Hilda realizes it is daytime. She stops suddenly in the doorway. Realization hits her.

“Wait! Marianne! How are we gonna keep you safe from the sun?”

Marianne stares at her confusedly. “What danger is the sun?”

“Don’t vampires burn up in the sun?”

“Not really. It stings, but it is nothing I cannot handle.”

“Oh. I guess I shouldn’t believe everything I see on TV. Let’s go, then!” Hilda drags Marianne out of the house and into her car. She loves an excuse to go to Target.

“So this is what a car is like.” Marianne quietly converses with herself. “I never thought they would be so big or have so many buttons.”

Hilda starts the car. It hums to life. The engine struggles in the cold weather. She lets it warm up. “The nice thing about cars nowadays is they have seatbelts.”

“Seat belts?”

The girl leans over to show her. She pulls the belt over her carefully. It clicks into place. “All you gotta do is click it in here.”

“And what is the point up tying me up in your car?”

“I’m not tying you up,” Hilda says, her cheeks burning up, “It’s for safety.”

“So you drive so badly I need one?”

“Rude. It’s the law, dummy.”

“So you drive safe.”

“I do!” Hilda shifts the car into gear. “You’ll see. I’m the safest driver around.”

That is a bit of an exaggeration. Hilda has a couple speeding tickets on her record, and she does have a tendency to speed up at yellow lights.

“So where are we going?” Marianne asks at a stoplight.

“Target.”

“Oh. Sorry. What is our target?”

“Target is the name of a store.”

“Where you buy clothes.” The girl nods.

“And all sorts of things.” Hilda explains. “There’s food, computers, furniture. All in one store.”

The drive goes by surprisingly smoothly. Hilda circles the busy parking lot looking for a spot. People walks about pushing carts of groceries. Marianne watches them out the window.

“There are so many people here.” She observes.

“Yeah. People come here for everythin- oh! A spot!” Hilda whips her car into the empty space while Marianne holds on for dear life. She looks to the girl. “Ready for your makeover?”

“Maybe?” Marianne answers meekly.

“That’s the spirit!” Hilda jumps out of the car. “Let’s go!”

They walk through the parking lot into the store. As the couple walks past, the automatic doors slide open. Marianne jumps and instinctively grabs onto Hilda.

“How did that door open?” She quivers. “Was there a ghost?”

“There’s a censor up there that detects us and opens the door.” Hilda explains. “It’s all technology. No ghosts.”

“I do not understand, but okay.”

They walk inside. Marianne cringes at the sliding doors, but keeps herself composed. The store, as all Targets are, is ethereal. Bright lights cover everything in a white light. Customers wander about buying meaningless things. Hilda takes Marianne straight to the clothing section. Marianne immediately latches onto a sweater.

“I like this one,” she says, “It is soft.”

“So you like sweaters.” Hilda looks around for better options.

“I like warm clothes. I always feel so cold.”

“Really? Is that a vampire thing?”

“Yeah. Not a lot of blood circulation.”

Hilda takes the girl’s hand. “Your hands are really cold. Must be nice in the summer, though.”

“I love the spring.”

“Let’s pick out some cute greens, then. They always remind me of spring.” Hilda picks out some cute tops. “How about these?”

“I like that one.”

“And that would go good with, hmm.” She scans the store. “Those pants over there.”

She drags Marianne to the pants rack.

“Blue jeans go with everything. You’ll need a couple pairs. A black pair too. Oh! But these brown pants are so cute! Do you like skirts at all? Let’s pick you out some sundresses once the weather gets warmer.” Hilda starts tossing clothes at Marianne. The poor girl struggles to hold everything.

“This is a lot of clothes.” She mumbles.

“I know. Don’t worry about it. You’ll need a whole new wardrobe if you wanna fit in. Can I get you this shirt that says ‘meowdy’ on it? It reminds me of you.”

Marianne lights up. “I love that. It’s ‘cool’, right?”

“The coolest.” She adds it to the pile. “You’re gonna need a cute jacket for the winter. Actually, you can borrow one of mine. Hats too. Let’s check the clearance rack.”

Marianne follows the girl as she runs around the women’s section. Hilda rambles on about fashion. It is making the girl dizzy. She tries her best to listen. Soon, they have an entire new wardrobe. Hilda dumps it all into a large cart.

“Now, I wanna see you in some cute outfits! I wanna see the new Marianne.” The girl beams at her.

“Okay.” Marianne is not sure what she just signed up for.

Hilda drags her into the dressing rooms. She picks out an outfit and shoves Marianne inside. Soon, she emerges in a brand new look. The sweater sleeves fall over her hands. The brow pants accent the green to give her an earthy tone. Hilda pats herself on the back.

“How do I look?” Marianne asks. “I cannot look in the mirror.”

“You look gorgeous!” Hilda gushes. “Same amazing girl, fresh new look.”

“Should I try another?”

“You know it!” Hilda shoves another outfit into her hands.

Marianne returns wearing a polka dot blouse and a pink skirt. “I’m not sure about this one.”

“Mari, you look so cute!” Hilda’s heart skips a beat. “I’m jealous.”

“Ah, please do not be jealous.”

“I am. You make anything look good. Now, last one. Try this flannel on. You can just take the top off and throw this on over.”

“You want me to wear the flannel over the shirt?” She starts putting it on over her outfit.

“No. Not like that. Let me show you.” Hilda pushes her into the stall and presses her against the wall. Carefully, she unbuttons the girl’s top. She slides the shirt off, leaving Marianne in only a tank top.

“Now, wear this like a jacket.” Hilda instructs.

Marianne obliges. She slips the flannel on. It sits on her loosley. Hilda loves the look.

“Beautiful. Love it. You can wear it over any t shirt for a perfect lazy outfit. Or button it up and wear it as a shirt. The flannel is warm and versatile. Good for casual outfits. Sweaters are best for fall. You can wear a cute blouse underneath for extra glam. If you wear glasses, you’ll be a sexy librarian.”

“Why sexy?” Marianne tries to process the words being thrown at her.

“Because you’re young and cute.” Hilda pinches the girl’s cheek.

“I am one hu-”

“Shh. You’re twenty one years old. Same as me.”

“I am twenty one years old.” She repeats.

“There you go! You’re gonna be a part of modern society in no time! Now I know how Glinda feels in Wicked.”

“Like who in what?”

“We’ll watch that later. First, we have to buy all this stuff.”

Next, comes the hard part.


	7. Chapter 7

As they pull out of the parking lot, Hilda’s phone buzzes in her pocket. She takes it out to see a call from Claude. She glances up at the road and back down at her phone. This is important. She answers the call.

“Hilda!” Claude says when she answers. “It’s been forever.”

“It’s only been a week.” The girl laughs.

“Well, yeah, but that's weird for you. Usually, you’re sleeping here every other night. What’s going on?”

“Oh, uh, family stuff.”

“Family stuff? Did Holst break his leg again?”

“No!” Hilda laughs. “It’s nothing important really.”

“What is it then?”

“My family decided to host a foreign exchange student, and we’ve been deep cleaning the house to get ready for her.”

“A foreign exchange student? Whose great idea was that?”

“Holst.”

“Sounds like something he would do,” her friend says, “Do you think your family will free you for a couple hours so you can come with us for bowling? Lysithea’s coming too.”

“I wish I could come, but I’m kinda driving to pick her up from the airport right now.” Hilda turns him down.

“Oh damn. That was fast. Hopefully, she’ll be a part of the squad soon. Tell her to get good at Wii tennis so we can all hang.”

“She’ll bring her a-game. Promise. Bye, Claude. See you soon.” Hilda hangs up and lets out a long breath.

“That was Claude?” Marianne asks.

“Yep. Good old Claude. You’ll meet him on better terms eventually.”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Hilda nearly swerves the car into traffic. Car horns blare at her. “What? No. Ew. He has a boyfriend.”

“He has a boyfriend?”

Hilda comes to a lot of realizations all at once. “We have a lot to talk about on that front. LGBT stuff has come a long way since you’ve been around, and basically all my friends are gay so you gotta be okay with that.”

“El Gee what?”

“Gays. I don’t know what you called gay people back then.” Hilda waves her hand in the air, trying not to get heated. “Mari, just tell me now if you’re gonna freak out when you see Claude kiss another man.”

“Uh, I do not see a problem with it personally. I never really thought about it.”

“Alright. Good.” She breathes a sigh of relief. They pull into the driveway. The car shuts off, making it eerily quiet.

“Are you ready?” She asks.

Marianne hesitates. “I think so.”

“You’re gonna have to meet my parents. My mom will definitely hug you, and they’re gonna ask questions.” Hilda explains. “I told them you’re a foreign exchange student from Germany. I don’t know anything about Germany. We’ll figure it out together. Just follow my lead.”

“I will try my best.” Marianne takes a deep breath. She scratches at her wrist. Hilda can sense her nervousness. She puts a supportive hand on her shoulder, trying to ignore her own anxiety. She mentally prepares for what is to come. She cannot believe she is bringing a vampire into her own home to live with her. Sometimes life is just like that.

Hilda pulls out the suitcase with all her clothes and gives it to Marianne. They walk up to the door and pause. Marianne looks as if she might die a second time. Her face is completely pale. Hilda opens the door.

Immediately, they are greeted with open arms. Holst and her mother stand waiting for them. Marianne nearly faints. Their dog, Thor comes over to greet the newcomer. The girl bends down to pet him, relieving some of her anxiety. He leans into her lovingly.

Hilda clears her throat. “Mom, Holst, this is Marianne.”

“Welcome to our home!” Hilda’s mom pulls Marianne into a tight hug. “We’re so glad you’re here.”

Marianne looks overwhelmed. She hangs limp in her arms.

Holst laughs. “Don’t suffocate her, mom. We can’t lose her on the first day.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just so excited to meet you, and I’m so proud of my daughter for trying to do some good in this world.”

“Mom, please.” Hilda rolls her eyes. Her cheeks start to burn up.

Holst holds his hand out to Marianne. “Nice to meet you, Marianne. I’m Holst, the most handsome man alive and also Hilda’s brother.”

“My idiot brother.” Her sister corrects him.

“Yes. Handsome and idiot brother,” the boy says with a smile, “Anyway, it’s nice to meet the reason Hilda cleaned her room.”

Hilda shoots her brother a glare. She turns back to her mom. “Mari, this is my mother. You can call her Heather.”

“You can call me mom!” Her mother brings Marianne back in for a hug. She bubbles with excitement. “Welcome to the family.”

When she finally lets go of the girl, Marianne is in tears. Hilda’s heart drops. She rushes over to the girl and takes her hands.

“Mari, what’s wrong?”

“I have not been hugged in so long.” She sniffles. “It is nice to feel like a part of a family for once.”

Hilda blinks back her own tears. She throws her arms around Marianne. “Welcome home.”

Another pair of arms wrap around them. Then another. Soon, the whole family is surrounding them in a warm hug. Hilda starts crying. She hears her mother trying not to.

Finally, they let go. Hilda recomposes herself. She brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think we should go upstairs to unpack before dinner. She just got off a long plane ride. This is all overwhelming for her.”

“Yeah. I am very tired,” Marianne says weakly.

Her mother nods. “I’ll keep dinner warm for you. Take your time.”

Hilda takes her friend by the hand and drags her upstairs. Finally, they reach the peace and quiet of her room. She shuts the door and sinks to the rug.

“Sorry about that,” she says, “My family is a lot.”

“Sorry I started crying.”

“It’s okay, Mari. You’re allowed to have feelings. This is a big change for you.”

“It’s not just that, Hilda.” Marianne sits down on the floor. She pulls her sleeves over her hands. “My entire life, I have never been a part of a family, and your mom just let me in with open arms without a second thought. She made me feel wanted. I have never felt like that before.”

Hilda blinks back tears. She crawls over to the girl to tackle her into a hug. “I’m so sorry you’ve lived your life alone, Marianne. We’re here for you now, and I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

Marianne hugs her back. “I have not been hugged in over a hundred years. I forgot how nice it feels.”

“Then I’ll have to make up for those hundred years.” She squeezes her tighter. “And my mom will too. I promise you that.”

“I like your mom.”

“I guess she’s alright.” Hilda finally lets go of the girl. They sit next to each other on the floor.

“So what now?” Marianne asks.

“We should probably go back downstairs for dinner,” Hilda says, “I’ll help you unpack after.”

“I do not eat, Hilda.”

“But can you pretend? I mean you can eat food, right?”

“I suppose I can. I have not tried it before.”

The girl shrugs. “First time for everything.”

“Today is a lot of firsts.”

Hilda stands up and holds out her hand. “Yeah. What’s one more?”

Marianne takes her hand and follows her downstairs into the dining room. The smell of delicious food wafts through the house. Hilda drools just thinking about her mom’s cooking. The table is already set by the time they come down. Holst sits at the table with a bottle of wine. Their mother walks in with a tray of freshly baked bread. The dog follows close behind. He camps under the table by Marianne’s feet.

“I know you’re from Germany, but I love a home cooked Italian dinner,” the mom says happily, “If you like it, I’m more than happy to share my pesto recipe.”

“Lucky.” Hilda crosses her arms. “She won’t even let me have the pesto recipe.”

“To be fair, I’ve never seen you even look at a stove before.” Holst snorts at his own joke. His sister shoots him a glare.

Marianne stares down at all the food. “This is all very kind. Thank you.”

Holst pours everyone a glass of wine while they sit down to a meal. Hilda pours a mountain of cheese onto her rotinis while Marianne tries a slice of bread. She lights up as she takes her first bite and immediately snatches another slice. So far, so good.

Hilda’s mom turns to Marianne. “I don’t know if you’re a wine drinker, but I wanted this to be a special occasion, so I had Holst pick out a special bottle for us.”

“Yeah. It cost like fifteen bucks.” He gives the girl a thumbs up.

“I have not had wine in forever.” Marianne graciously takes the glass to be polite. Slowly, she tips the glass back and takes a sip.

Hilda tries not to drink her own glass in one gulp. It is rare her mother lets her have alcohol at the dinner table. She eyes her mother as she takes slow sips. The meal, as always, is delicious. Holst powers through his first plate and gets up for seconds. Marianne devours her own plate, surprising Hilda. Her mother looks at their guest with pride as she scoops herself another plate of pasta.

She leans over to Hilda. “I love this girl. Can we adopt her?”

Hilda laughs. “It hasn’t even been one day, mom.”

“So, Marianne.” Her mom starts conversation. “Tell us about yourself. Why are you here? What are you studying?”

The girl stops mid-bite. She sends a worried glance at Hilda. “I am here to study.”

“Same college as me and Holst.” Hilda adds helpfully. “You said you wanted to be a veterinarian, right, Mari?”

“Yes. That.”

“A veterinarian! How wonderful.” Her mom claps her hands together with delight. “I can see it in you.”

After another serving and a bottle of wine, the family finally settles down. Holst helps clean up the table while Marianne finishes off the last of the bread. Hilda takes her plate into the kitchen. Holst stands by the sink rinsing off the plates. Thor sits in the kitchen patiently waiting for scraps. Hilda throws him some bread crust.

“Look at you helping out.” He gives Hilda a smug grin. “If I knew all it would take was a new roommate, I would’ve done this sooner.”

“Oh, shut up, Holst.” She takes the rinsed plates and loads them into the dishwasher.

“You know I’m just teasing. I really am proud of you.”

“You had too much wine. You’re being sappy.”

“I am not being sappy.”

“You’re practically oozing sap right now.”

“Am not!” Holst insists.

“You are!” Hilda argues.

“Am not!” The boy sticks his tongue out at her childishly.

“I’m gonna kill you.” She groans.

“What are you kids doing in there?” Their mom calls to them. “You better not be arguing in front of a guest.”

“She lives with us, mom! She’s gonna see us argue eventually!” Holst responds.

“I don’t wanna hear it, Holst.”

Hilda gives her brother a smug grin. “Yeah, Holst. I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Oh, quiet, you.” He shoots her a glare but fails to keep it for long. “I love you, Hilda.”

“What did I just say?”

Holst bursts out laughing.

After dinner, they gather in the living room. Holst plays with his phone while the two girls sit next to each other on the couch. Maybe it is the wine, but Marianne is being particularly clingy. She squeezes Hilda’s hand idly.

“So, if Marianne is living here now, does that mean she’s my sister-in-law?” Holst wonders out loud.

“We’re not married, Holst. She just lives here now.” Hilda rolls her eyes.

“Wait, we are getting married?” Marianne speaks up, having obviously spaced out a moment before.

“Can I be the best man?” Holst asks. “Do lesbian weddings even have best mans?”

“We’re not getting married.”

“Hilda, you’re getting married?” Her mom walks in at the wrong moment. She holds a stack of board games in her hands.

“I’m not getting married!” Hilda announces. “And I’m not marrying Marianne.”

“Oh, honey, you already know I love and support you no matter who you choose to love,” her mom says lovingly.

“I’m not dating Marianne!” The girl throws her hands up in the air. “Can we please play Jenga?”

Holst agrees. “I like Jenga. A classic. Love those blocks.”

“I have never played.” Marianne admits.

“It’s easy. Well, the rules are easy.” Hilda explains, pulling the stack carefully out of the box. “You have to take blocks from the tower and try not to knock it over.”

“I’ll show you how it’s done.” Holst immediately rips a block from the bottom of the stack. The tower teeters but does not fall over.

Their mom goes next. She carefully takes a block from the middle and places it on top. Hilda follows suit, lightly running her finger until she finds a suitable block. They look to Marianne expectantly. She reaches out to take a loose block. Her hands subtly shake.

“Nice job. All you gotta do is not knock over the tower.” Hilda smiles at her encouragingly.

They play on. The tower grows taller. It wiggles with every block stolen from its body. Holst bites his tongue as he concentrates on a particularly stubborn piece. With no better options, their mom picks a risky piece. She carefully grabs it from the other side to pull it out. The tower starts to lean when she sets the block on top. The pressure is on. Hilda rubs her hands together as she searches for a viable target. Every subtle movement makes the tower teeter. Hilda reaches for a piece. It sticks, making the tower twist. Her heart skips a beat. No turning back now. Actually, the tower kinda is falling over. It crashes onto the table, making Marianne jump. Holst bursts out laughing. He jumps up.

“I win!” He cheers.

Hilda frowns. “I thought I had it.”

They play a few more games before it gets late. Hilda exaggerates a yawn.

“I think it’s about time we go to bed,” she says, “It’s been a long day.”

Marianne nods. “I would like to sleep.”

“Goodnight, you two.” Her mom comes in for another hug.

They head upstairs where it is much quieter. Marianne seems tired. Her eyes droop. Hilda understands; the girl had a long day. This is all new to her. Hilda leads her to the guest room. The room is barren besides a single bed and nightstand.

“This is where you’ll be sleeping,” Hilda says, “I’m right next door, so there’s nothing to worry about. I forgot to buy you a toothbrush, but you can use mine tonight. It’s the pink one. We’ll go out shopping tomorrow for anything else you need.”

“At Target?”

“Yes. At Target.”

“Hilda, may I ask you a question?” Marianne pulls her sleeves over her hand.

“Sure. What is it?”

“Where is your father? Did he die?”

“My father is not dead. He’s doing business in Hong Kong. He’ll visit for Thanksgiving. You’ll meet him then.” Hilda answers.

“Do I want to meet him?”

“We’ll find out.” The girl shrugs. “Is there anything else you need?”

“I do not need anything.” Marianne shakes her head.

“Goodnight, Mari.” Hilda pulls her into a hug. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Hilda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> found family makes me go 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw blood toward the end of chapter

Hilda lies down in her bed glad the night went well. The lights flicker off except for the faint glow of her phone. She sinks into the blankets and texts Claude for a while. Her blankets wrap her in warmth. Once her eyes start to droop, she shuts the phone off and falls asleep.

A scream jolts her awake. Hilda leaps out of bed and rushes to Marianne’s room. Her dog paws at the guest room door, obviously stirred by the noise. Hilda hopes no one else heard. She opens the door to see Marianne awake on the bed. The covers lie in disarray on the floor. Hilda goes to the girl. She sits on the bed hyperventilating.

“Mari, are you okay? What happened?” Hilda asks with concern.

“I am fine. Just a bad dream.” The girl answers, pulling her knees to her chest. “You can go back to sleep.”

“You don’t seem okay. Do you want to talk about it?” Hilda sits at the edge of the bed. She keeps a comfortable distance between the two.

“Hilda, you do not need to help me.” Her voice quivers.

“But I want to. You’re my friend, and I care about you.” She holds her hand out to the girl.

Hesitantly, Marianne takes it and squeezes it. She wipes away her tears. “I am sorry you have to do this.”

“Don’t apologize. I want to help you.” The girl inches closer. She can feel Marianne’s hands shake.

Marianne starts to cry again. She tackles Hilda into a hug and buries her face in her neck. They sit in silence for a while. Hilda gently rubs her back to help calm her down. Eventually, the girl stops crying. She lets go of Hilda and sits up.

“Are you feeling better now?” Hilda asks.

Marianne nods. “Thank you for coming for me. I am not used to it.”

“Well, get used to it because we live together now.”

“Hilda, this happens a lot.”

“The screaming?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I do not know why. I have had my whole life to get used to the dreams, but they still hurt.”

“What are you dreaming about?”

“I do not want to tell you.”

“That’s okay. I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to. I just want you to know I’m here to listen whenever you feel comfortable,” Hilda says calmly, “Will you be okay to go back to sleep?”

“I think so. Can I see the dog again?”

“Of course.” Hilda gets up to let the dog in. He jumps up on the bed to cuddle with Marianne. Immediately, her mood brightens.

“Thank you, Hilda.”

“You’re welcome, Mari.” The girl smiles at her. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Wait, please do not leave.”

Hilda stops in the doorway. “You want me to stay?”

“Yes please.”

“Alright, but don’t make this a habit.” Hilda climbs back into bed.

She finds that the guest room blankets are much thinner than her own, and Marianne isn’t exactly a warm body. She wishes she put on a pair of pants before running over. The dog lies at their feet, keeping them warm. Hilda curls up under the blankets. Her eyes flutter shut, but she does not fall asleep.

“Hilda?” The other girl whispers.

“Yes, Mari?” She opens her eyes to look at her.

“The only time I didn’t have a nightmare was when I slept in bed with you. I believe you have healing capabilities.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes. You are special, Hilda.”

She tries to brush off the comment casually, but cannot help but feel a swell in her chest. “You too, Mari. Goodnight.”

\----

Hilda wakes up wrapped in Marianne’s arms. The sun is just starting to rise, so the room is mostly dark. Bits of sunlight peek through the blinds. Not a sound can be heard besides the dogs snoring. Thor snoozes, curled up at their feet. Hilda feels warm; she could lie like this for hours. However, her bladder disagrees.

She tries to break free from the girl’s tight grasp. Marianne only pulls her closer, mumbling something incoherent to herself. Hilda takes a deep breath and tries once more. Carefully, she peels the girl’s hands off her. She replaces herself with a pillow and slowly removes herself from the blankets. The bed creaks with every small movement. Hilda inches off the bed to not disturb the girl. Finally, she escapes from the bed. She tiptoes to the door and quietly opens it. As she walks out, she comes face to face with her brother.

Holst raises an eyebrow at her. “Why are you sneaking out of Marianne’s room early in the morning before everyone is awake?”

The good news is Holst did not hear the screaming last night. Or maybe he did, and came to the wrong conclusion. Hilda’s tired mind strains to think of an excuse. “I’m just up early.”

“You’re never awake early unless you didn’t go to bed.”

“You caught me.” The girl shrugs. “I was up all night studying.”

“Studying? In Marianne’s bedroom? Really?”

“Ugh. Fine. You caught me. I was bingeing Friends.”

“With Marianne?”

“Yeah. Her schedule is all fucked up from moving to a new country. Long plane rides, new time zone, and all that. She couldn’t get to sleep.”

“And you stayed up with her so she wouldn’t feel lonely?” Her brother gasps. “Hilda, that’s absolutely adorable.”

“Don’t call me adorable.” Hilda grumbles.

“Fine. It’s cute.”

“I’m too tired for this.”

“You know if you didn’t hate my compliments so much, I wouldn’t say nice things to you all the time.”

“Holst, I need to pee.” The girl whines. “Move, or I hurt you.”

The boy steps aside. “Okay! Okay!”

Hilda practically runs to the bathroom. When she returns, she goes back to her own bedroom.

\----

Marianne wakes up to an empty bed. An unsettling feeling sits in her stomach. She feels as if she might throw up. She never does, but the feeling remains. The dog stirs by her feet as she sits up. Thor walks over tail wagging. He gives her a good morning kiss. Marianne smiles and pets him. Her eyes burn. She is not used to waking up during the day.

“Where is Hilda?” She thinks to herself. “Was that all part of the dream?”

Her head hurts. She shakes it off and gets out of bed. The bed creaks as she moves. The carpet is soft on her bare feet. She has never been able to walk around without shoes before.

She attempts to navigate to the bathroom. The house is as good as a maze to her. One wrong turn, and she ends up in front of a random door. The door creaks open, revealing a foreign bedroom. Marianne assumes this to be Hilda’s mother’s room and quickly shuts the door. Holst’s room is easy enough to pick out. Hid door literally has his name on it. Marianne wonders if this is a new custom she has not learned about yet. Finally, she finds the bathroom. Of course, the light is on, and Marianne can hear the water running inside. Guess it will have to wait.

Maybe Hilda is awake. From there, Hilda’s room is not hard to find. The floor creaks under each step as she makes her way to the girl’s room. She reaches the door, not sure if she should knock or not. Hilda seems to have no preference. She opens the door to see the other girl still fast asleep on her bed. Hilda lies face down, hanging halfway off the bed. Her arm hangs limp. Her hand nearly touches the floor. Marianne worries she might fall. She takes a timid step forward and shuts the door behind her. With the curtains drawn, the room is incredibly dark. Only a strip of light peeking through the blinds illuminates the room.

The sleeping girl stirs. Marianne freezes, worried she woke her. Hilda flops over onto her back and lets out a soft sigh. Marianne watches her in awe for a moment. The girl looks so much different asleep. Her hair is unkempt. Her makeup has been wiped off. She looks so vulnerable. Hilda shifts again, making the blanket pull down. Marianne’s eyes immediately fall to her bared neck. She covers her mouth instinctively.

“Mari…?” A tired voice pulls her from her thoughts.

Marianne did not realize how close she got to the bed. “Hilda? Are you awake?”

The girl mumbles. “Mari, where are you?”

She throws her hand around, feeling for the other girl. Her hand lands on Marianne’s chest.

“There you are.” Hilda whispers in her sleep. She tightly grasps Marianne’s shirt and pulls her down.

Marianne carefully takes her hand and places it back on the bed. She stays quiet as she tucks the blankets back over the girl. Hilda remains fast asleep, completely unaware of the world around her.

“Of course I’ll let you…” Her words are drowned out by snoring.

Marianne takes that as her cue to go back to her room.

\----

Sunlight glares through the windows. Hilda flops over onto her stomach and slowly wakes up. She lets out a loud yawn and grabs for her phone. Surprisingly, it is still morning. Her phone starts buzzing as she gets a phone call. Claude.

“Why are you calling me in the morning?” Hilda says, “You know I’m still asleep.”

“I know, but you have a math final you’re about to miss.” Claude answers. “You might wanna get up for this.”

Hilda falls out of bed. “Shit. I forgot about midterms.”

“You always do this, Hilda.” She can hear the boy rolling his eyes. “Test starts in fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes?” Shit. She throws on the nearest pair of pants. Is it acceptable to go to class in pajamas? Probably. It doesn’t matter right now. She runs out the door. As she leaves, she suddenly remembers Marianne. She rushes back upstairs and bursts into Marianne’s room.

Marianne looks up, seeming scared by the sudden outburst. She hugs her notebook to her chest. “Hilda, are you okay?”

“I need to go. You’re gonna have the house to yourself for a couple hours. I’ll explain later. Love you! Bye!” Hilda accidentally spit out that last part. Old habits die hard. She slams the door behind her and sprints to her car.

Marianne sits in her bed looking quite confused. The dog blinks with shock. Soon, he returns to his normal goofy self and rolls over onto his back. The girl scratches him.

“I wonder where Hilda is going that is so important.” She wonders out loud. “What do you think she is doing, Thor?”

The dog stares at her and continues to roll around on his back.

“Yeah. Probably an emergency. She will be fine. I promise.” Marianne scratches behind his ears.

She continues to write in her notebook. Thor rests his head on her leg and watches her. They remain like that for a while. Marianne has a lot to write about.

Eventually, she grows bored of writing. She paces the room, not sure what to do with herself. She glances out the window. Most of the rain has melted away, and a soft rain is coming down. It looks absolutely awful. Marianne closes the blinds once more. She peeks out the door. Hilda mentioned having the house to herself. Is no one home? She takes a tentative step out the door into the hallway. Thor follows, tail wagging.

The stairs creak under her footsteps. Marianne makes her way downstairs. The house is eerily silent, much different from yesterday. She wanders into the kitchen. A plate of cookies sits in the counter. Marianne cannot help herself. She nabs a cookie. The sugary treat melts in her mouth. Maybe one more won’t hurt. No one will notice. She glances around before taking a second cookie.

A loud ringing pulls her from her bliss. She jumps in fear. Her heart beats out of her chest. She searches the house for the source of the noise. As she passes by the front door, she notices someone waiting outside. Panic kicks in. They make eye contact. The man waves. Marianne immediately looks away. What does she do? Who is this strange man? Has her cover been blown, and they sent a mob to come take her away? Right when things were looking her way, they all go to shit. Just like they always do. Marianne lets out a heavy sigh. She opens the door and accepts her fate.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. Would you like to hear the word of our Lord Sothis?” The man opens up a book and starts flipping through the pages.

“How did you know?” Marianne asks. Her hands shake.

“The Lord knows all.” The man answers simply. “And She will rid the world of sin. We must repent for our sins by pledging our lives to Her.”

“I know. I have accepted my fate. What will you try this time? Burning me alive? Behead me? Where are the rest hiding?” She glances around for an angry mob. A squirrel skitters past. It seems awfully quiet for an angry mob.

The man gawks at her. “Uh, our Lord has many followers, and She really _really_ thinks you need saving.”

“Is that what they call it these days? Just hurry up and save me.”

“Oh, um, yeah. Let me get you a pamphlet. Ouch-” He cuts his finger on his stack of papers. A drop of blood runs down his finger. He squeezes his hand to stop the bleeding. Marianne stares at his hand.

“Anyway.” He fumbles with the pamphlet, trying not to bleed on it. “This has all the information on it, including church locations and prayers.”

Marianne says nothing. She just continues staring at his hand. Her eyes follow his every movement.

“Ma’am? Are you even listening to me?”

“Would you be so kind as to excuse me for a moment?” Marianne says quietly. Her eyes glint red.

“Sure. I guess.”

Suddenly, she grabs him by the collar and tugs him inside with inhuman strength. Papers fly everywhere. The door slams shut.

\----

Hilda pulls into the driveway. She takes a sip of her coffee and walks inside. Her shoe gets caught on a wet paper. Hilda groans and peels it off. Then, she notices the litter of papers all over her front step. They lie soaked in water. She decides to ignore them, as they confuse her too much. She opens the door.

“Marianne, I’m home- oh my god what happened?” Hilda screams and drops her coffee. The hot liquid spills all over the floor Marianne is mopping. Blood covers the entrance. A body leans limp against the wall, also covered in blood. Even the walls are splattered. Marianne scrubs at the pool of blood with a mop. She stares at Hilda, fear in her eyes. Her clothes are stained red.

“I will have this cleaned up before anyone gets home,” she says.

“Mari, there’s a dead body in my house. Oh my god there’s a dead body in my house. That’s a dead man. In my house. Did you kill someone? You killed someone. There’s so much blood. I’m gonna throw up.” Hilda turns white. Her knees go weak. Her vision goes black.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw more blood

“Hilda! Wake up.”

Hilda opens her eyes to see Marianne holding her. Tears fall from her eyes. She looks worried.

“Mari, it’s okay. I’m right here.” The girl brings her hand to her cheek to wipe away the tears. Then, she notices the blood. It stains her finger tips. Then, she realizes where she is. “Oh, shit. That wasn’t a dream.”

“I am really sorry. I was not in control of myself.” Marianne cries.

“You killed a man!” Hilda stands up and brushes herself off. Blood stains her own clothes now. She groans in frustration. “Marianne, if my mom sees this, she’ll have a heart attack. I’m covered in blood! There’s still a dead body in our house. Oh, god. That’s a dead body in my house. I’m gonna throw up.”

“Please do not throw up. It will make it harder to clean.”

“Too late.” Hilda steps outside to vomit.

Marianne gets on her knees to scrub harder. Hilda comes back inside, trying desperately to compose herself.

“Okay,” she says with a deep breath, “First, we’ll find someone with a pig farm. No. We need to clean first. My brother will be home around six. We’re gonna need a lot of bleach. And new clothes. Fuck. Marianne, how are you so calm right now?” Hilda swears up a storm as she goes to retrieve more cleaning supplies.

A lot of bleach later, and the entrance looks somewhat presentable. The bad news is the body still sits on the floor. The good news is the house smells lemony fresh. Hilda starts peeling off her clothes, starting with her shirt.

“How do we get rid of the body?” She talks to herself. She paces the clean floor. “They’re gonna know he went missing and start an investigation, and a witness will point out he was at our house, and the FBI will show up and find his DNA and our DNA and-”

“Hilda.” Marianne puts a hand on each of her shoulders to hold her in place. “I know it sounds silly coming from me, but you need to calm down. I did not kill him. He is alive.”

Hilda’s eyes go wide. “Did you turn him into a vampire?”

“I am, uh, not sure, but I can take blood without killing. Usually.”

“Usually? Marianne-”

“It would be a lot messier in here if I killed him.”

“So he’s alive.” Hilda breathes. “Somehow, that seems worse. He’ll report us to the police, and they’ll find out you’re a vampire and take you away from me and-”

“Hilda. You are doing it again.”

“I am. Sorry.” The girl shakes it off. “This is my first almost murder. I don’t know what to do. I’m used to getting into trouble, but this is something different.”

“He has very little blood. He will be very light-headed and probably will not remember much.”

“Perfect! We’re off the hook. Wait, he’s still covered in blood and in our house.”

“We can put him in new clothes and take him outside.”

“People will see that. We can’t draw anymore suspicion- is that my mom? That’s my mom.” Hilda goes into full panic as a car pulls into the driveway. She kneels down to grab the unconscious man. “Quick, Mari, help me hide him in your room, and wipe the blood off your face.”

Marianne picks up the body with little trouble. “Why my room?”

“My room’s a mess.”

“Okay. Then what?”

“Uh, make sure he doesn’t wake up. I’ll distract my mom.”

“Hilda, you are still covered in blood.”

The girl suddenly realizes she is standing in the doorway shirtless with blood soaked pants. “Fuck. Quick, upstairs!”

They rush upstairs while the front door opens.

“Hilda? Are you home?” Her mother calls from the doorway.

Hilda quietly shuts the door and braces herself. Marianne stashes the body in the closet.

“Hilda? Marianne? Are you home?” Footsteps make their way upstairs. Hilda hears her mother knocking on the room next door.

“Take off your clothes, Mari!” Hilda hisses at the other girl. “You’re still covered in blood!”

Marianne quickly peels off her stained clothes, leaving her in only her underwear. Hilda flings her pants across the room, out of sight. Before she can find new clothes, there is a knock at the door.

“Coming!” Hilda says, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. She takes a deep breath to compose herself and opens the door slightly. Her head pokes out. “Hi, mom! What are you doing home so early?”

“I’m on my lunch break. I wanted to come check on you and Marianne since this is her first day at the house. I wanna make sure she’s acclimating well.” Her mom looks down to notice her daughter in her underwear. “Honey, why aren’t you wearing clothes?”

“Oh, uh, I just finished my math final.”

“In your underwear? In Marianne’s room?”

“I mean I finished my math final, and me and Marianne were gonna go out and celebrate. We’re getting ready right now. That’s why we’re both half naked in Marianne’s room. No other reason.”

Her mother looks at her confusedly as she contemplates her answer. Then, she smiles. “That sounds like fun! We should do something fun as a family this weekend too. Like go bowling. I bet Marianne would enjoy that.”

“Yeah. That would be super fun, mom. I’m kinda busy right now, so I’m gonna close the door now. Bye, mom. I love you.” She attempts to close the door, but her mother stops her.

“Wait, Hilda, can I say goodbye to Marianne?”

“Of course you can! She is your new adopted daughter after all.” Hilda laughs nervously. She looks back to see Marianne standing awkwardly by the closet. She beckons the girl to come over.

Marianne stands stiff in the doorway. “Hello, Mrs. Goneril.”

“Hi, sweetie. You don’t have to call me that. It sounds so formal. You’re part of the family now! Call me mom.”

“Okay, mom.”

The woman’s heart flutters. “Oh, Marianne, you’re the most precious girl a mother could ask for.”

“I’m right here, mom.” Hilda pouts.

“You too, dear. You know I love you very much.” She pinches Hilda’s cheek lovingly.

“Don’t you have to go back to work?” Her daughter asks.

Their mother gasps. “You’re right! I can’t be late. I’ll see you two tonight, and stay out of trouble!”

She blows them each a kiss and waves goodbye. Hilda does not relax until she hears the door shut. She lets out a sigh of relief. “That was… weird.”

“I do not think she was suspicious at all,” Marianne says.

“Now, we just gotta get rid of this guy.” Hilda slides open the closet door. He lies limp on the floor. His chest slowly rises up and down. Hilda kneels down to take his clothes off.

“Why are you stripping him?” The other girl asks.

“He’s covered in blood. I can find something in my dad’s closet for him.” Hilda answers. “So here’s the plan-”

“I think he is waking up.” Marianne whispers. The man stirs.

Hilda instinctively shuts the closet door. She seems strangely calm. “New plan.”

“Ow!” A loud thump comes from inside the closet.

Hilda grabs Marianne by the shoulder and shoves her onto the bed. She climbs on top of her. Marianne stares up at her, not sure what to do. She lies trapped underneath Hilda’s body. Honestly, Hilda has very little idea of what she is doing.

“What are you doing?” Marianne asks quietly.

Hilda leans down to whisper in her ear. “Just scream. A lot.”

The man stirs inside the closet. He fumbles around inside before finally finding the door. The door slides open and he stumbles out.

Marianne screams at the top of her lungs. Her eyes go wide when she sees the half naked man standing in her bedroom. Hilda turns around and makes eye contact with him. The two girls scream as loud as they can. Hopefully, the neighbors aren’t home.

The man freezes in shock. He immediately regrets being born.

“How long have you been in here, pervert? Get out of our house!” Hilda yells at him.

“I don’t know how I got here!” He quivers. “I’m not doing anything!”

“I’m calling the police!” The girl gets off the bed. “You better fucking run.”

The man takes a defensive step back and panics. “I’ll leave! I’m sorry. Don’t call the police.”

“Too late.”

He sprints for the door and makes a beeline for the stairs, not seeming to care that he has no clothes on. The door slams behind him.

Marianne lies on the bed, both in shock and awe of what just happened. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” Hilda turns back to her friend.

“You tricked him into thinking everything was his fault.”

“Oh. That. I’ve gotten pretty good at lying. Plus, his light-headedness helped.”

“Can you teach me?”

“I kinda have to. We have to convince everyone you’re a German foreign exchange student without an accent.” Hilda boops the girl on the nose. She lies down next to her. “Now, would you care to explain what happened while I was gone?”

“He came to the door, and I answered it. He accidentally got a cut, and I smelled the blood.” Marianne drops her voice to a whisper. “I was so hungry, Hilda. I am so sorry. If you want to get rid of me, I understand.”

“Mari, you apologize too much. Even though you should definitely apologize for this specific moment. I mean in general, you need to apologize less. I’m not getting rid of you anytime soon. Besides, we figured it out together. We can be quite the team under pressure.”

“Thank you for helping me. I could not have done that myself.”

“I’d do anything for you, Marianne.” Hilda brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “But we do need to work on communication. If you’re hungry, you need to tell me.”

“I am sorry-”

Hilda puts a finger on her lips to shush her. “No more apologizing. Only looking forward to a better future.”

“Right,” Marianne says, “At least I am not hungry anymore.”

The other girl laughs. “That’s the good news. How long will that last you?”

“A couple weeks.”

They go quiet for a moment. Hilda’s mind gets lost in thought, thinking about how to safely feed a vampire.

“Marianne?”

“Yes?”

“May I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

Hilda probs herself up on her elbow to face the taller girl. “Do you often lose control of yourself?”

“Only when I am hungry.”

“So say you were really hungry. Would you go after someone in the house? Like me?”

“I would hate to hurt you, Hilda. I would find other means.” Marianne answers.

“Well, if it ever comes down to that, just promise you won’t kill me, okay?”

“I promise I will not kill you.”

“I feel so much better now. Let’s talk about something less depressing.” Hilda sits up.

“Like what?”

“Like how nice a shower would feel right about now.”

“A shower would be cool. I feel gross.” Marianne agrees.

“You did kinda drink a random man’s blood.” Hilda gags. “I’ll let you hop in first.”

“Wouldn’t it be more efficient for us to shower at the same time?”

The girl chokes on air. Her face burns up as she coughs. “Isn’t that kinda weird?”

“Showering? Not really.”

“Well, usually, when you shower with someone, it’s because you’re into them.”

“Into them?” Marianne tilts her head to the side. “What does that mean?”

“It means you’re attracted to someone. You want to date them.”

“Oh. I understand now. And you do not shower with someone unless you are attracted to them.”

“Exactly. So you go shower first. I’m gonna wait here and pretend nothing just happened.” Hilda shoos her off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im having a lot of fun writing this kjflksafjd


	10. Chapter 10

The girls wander around Target together. Hilda drags Marianne through the clothing section before landing in the home section. Marianne stares confusedly at a lamp in the shape of a shark. Hilda plops into a beanbag chair.

“Hey, come check this out.” She motions for her friend to come over.

Marianne walks closer. “What do you need?”

Hilda grabs her and pulls her down into the beanbag chair with her. The girl is surprisingly light. She crashes into her lap.

“What are you doing?” Marianne asks quietly.

“I just thought it would be funny.”

“Oh, okay.”

A mother shoos her children along as they pass by the two.

“Do you do this with all your friends?” Marianne wonders out loud.

“Just you.”

“Why?”

“Claude’s too heavy, but he likes to do it to me.”

An employee walks by and gives them a strange look. Hilda taps Marianne to signal her to stand up. They make their way to the toiletry aisle. Marianne stares in awe at the large selection of body wash.

“Why is this soap for women only?” She picks up the bottle and examines it closely.

“Oh, that’s just a marketing thing. I just use women’s soap because it makes me feel more like a girl.”

“Interesting. Modern times are so strange.”

Hilda laughs. “They are. Just pick one that smells nice.”

“Can I just use your soap? I have trouble choosing.”

“Sure, but I’m not sharing my toothbrush. You need your own.” She takes Marianne by the hand and drags her to the next aisle.

As they head to the checkout, Hilda makes a detour to the shoe section. She tries on a new pair of tall boots while Marianne stares at the other shoes. She picks up a pair of Crocs™ and examines them closely.

“Hilda, what are these? They look so strange.”

Hilda looks up. She freezes in horror. “Mari, put that down immediately.”

The girl immediately drops the Croc™.

“That was made in hell.” Hilda explains. “And should never ever be seen on anyone close to me. This is a Crocs-free™ household, and I intend to uphold the tradition.”

“I am sorry, Hilda.”

“Don't worry about it, Mari. You didn’t know.”

\----

By the time they arrive home, Holst is already home. He hangs out in his room blasting music. Their mom watches television in the living room. Marianne stares at the bright screen intently. It is much bigger than Hilda’s computer. Hilda walks in the room and sits down on the couch. Marianne sits down next to her, eyes still trained on the screen. Thor jumps up to snuggle with Marianne. The commercials switch off and the local news returns. The reporter describes an incident involving an almost naked man running around a neighborhood.

“There were reports of a man running around a neighborhood in only his underwear. Multiple residents reported him to the police, and he was soon arrested.” The reporter states. Blurry pictures flash on the screen.

Hilda’s mom gasps. “Is that our neighborhood?”

“I don’t think so.” Hilda answers.

Marianne hugs her knees to her chest, staying quiet.

“I hope not. I’d have a heart attack if anything happened to you two,” the mom says.

“It’s a good thing I literally have never seen that man in my entire life.”

The music stops playing, and footsteps thump on the stairs. Holst pops into the room a moment later. He hops onto the couch and sits down. “Hey, nerds and Marianne.”

“Holst! I was wondering when you would stop blasting that… whatever you call it.” Their mom lights up when the boy walks in. “I was wondering if you could order pizza for dinner.”

“It’s called EDM, mom. I tell you this every time.” Holst rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone. “What kind of pizza?”

“What do you like on your pizza, Marianne?” Their mom asks the girl.

Marianne freezes up. “Uh, cheese?”

The mom laughs. “I would hope so.”

“And sausage.” Hilda adds in helpfully.

“So Marianne likes sausage.” Holst thinks out loud. He scratches his chin thoughtfully. “I would’ve thought otherwise.”

The phone dials up their local pizza joint. Holst orders pizza while his mother flips through the channels. She eventually stops on a cooking show.

“Hey, mom?” Hilda calls to her.

The woman perks up. “Yes, dear?”

“Is dad still coming home for Thanksgiving?”

“He should be. We’ll pick him up from the airport Thanksgiving morning.”

“Ew, we have to get up early? On a holiday?”

“It’s for your dad, Hilda.”

“I know.” Hilda sighs. “Should I text him about Marianne before or after he comes home?”

“Call your dad to tell him about Marianne tonight.” Her mother instructs.

\----

That night, Hilda paces her room. Marianne sits on the bed reading a book. Hilda does not own a lot of books, so Hilda stole one from Holst’s shelf. She took a copy of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which she vaguely remembers being enjoyable. Now, she holds her phone in her hand, hovering over the call button. After gathering her courage, she hits the call button. The dial tone drones on. She waits nervously for him to answer, reciting her words in her head. At the last moment, the phone picks up.

“Hello?” A voice answers.

“Hi, dad.” Hilda greets him.

“Hilda? Why are you calling me?”

“I needed to tell you something.”

“Can it wait until Thanksgiving? I’m heading to a meeting right now.”

“It’s about Thanksgiving. It’s kinda important,” Hilda says. She plays with the hem of her shirt. Marianne watches from over the top of her book.

“I can spare a minute, but make it fast.” Her dad is clear and concise.

Hilda lets out a quiet breath, trying to compose herself. “When you come back for break, someone’s gonna be there.”

“You’re bringing home another boyfriend?” Her father groans.

“No! She’s a girl.”

“Oh, you’re going through that phase again?”

“Again? Dad, for the last time, it’s not a phase!” Hilda tries to keep her voice down. Anger builds up in her stomach. “Marianne is not my girlfriend. She’s a foreign exchange student we’re hosting. She’s gonna be living with us for a while.”

“And why didn’t you ask me first? It’s my house after all. And my money.”

“Mom works too. We all live there.” The girl argues with him. “It’s too late anyway. She’s already here, and she’s not leaving.”

“We’ll see about that. I’ll see you at Thanksgiving.”

“Dad-”

The phone hangs up. Hilda throws her phone on the ground. She climbs onto the bed. Marianne sets her book down and puts an arm around the girl. Hilda hugs her tight. Tears roll down her face. She buries her face in Marianne’s neck.

“Are you okay, Hilda?”

“I’m fine.” Hilda sniffles. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks of you.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Marianne asks quietly.

“There’s nothing to talk about. He’s just my dad, and he sucks. He does this all the time. I’m already over it.” Hilda mumbles. She grabs onto Marianne tighter.

“Do you have a strained relationship with your father?”

“Yeah. He doesn't like me. Nothing I do ever makes him happy. All I do is disappoint people.”

“You are not a disappointment, Hilda.”

“Yes I am. I’m selfish and lazy and good for nothing.”

“Who told you that?”

“My father.”

“Yet I do not see him around here to see what you have done. How could he come to such conclusions unless he does not know you at all?” Marianne says. She gently pets Hilda’s hair.

“When did you become good at comforting people?” Hilda relaxes a bit.

“Since you taught me how.”

“Mari, you’re too sweet. What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“Break into my house multiple times.” The girl answers.

“To be fair, the first time I did it, I thought no one was living there. Also, I was drunk.”

“Do you do that a lot when you’re drunk?”

“Uh, no. Usually, I- actually, you’ll see it eventually. I wanna see drunk Marianne. That’ll show my dad.”

“You want me to get drunk?”

“Yes. I don’t have any tests tomorrow. Let’s get drunk right now. Fuck everything.” Hilda hops up, suddenly very cheerful. “Mom won’t notice if a little rum is missing.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Marianne asks.

“Absolutely. I do this with Claude all the time. I’ll be right back.” The girl disappears into the hallway. Marianne waits patiently on the bed. She picks her book back up and starts reading. Hilda returns a few minutes later with a bottle in her hand. She hops onto the bed.

“What is that?”

“Rum and ginger ale.” Hilda answers. “Also, I brought you some cookies.”

The girl lights up. “I like cookies.”

“And I like rum. Sounds like a win-win.” Hilda takes a swig from her makeshift flask. Marianne devours the cookies.

“Thank you, Hilda.”

“You’re welcome.” The girl laughs. “You really like food even though you don’t need to eat.”

“Cookies taste good.”

“They do. They really do.” Hilda agrees. Marianne finishes off the last cookie.

Hilda holds the flask in front of her. “Are you thirsty? Don’t make me drink alone. I wanna teach you what video games are.”

“Video games?” Marianne takes the flask into her hands.

“Yes. They’re fun.”

“Videos are like the ones with cats, yes?”

“The ones I show you, yes.”

“Then, I will try video games.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Admittedly, Hilda drank most of the bottle, but both of them are tipsy by the time the bottle is empty. Hilda chugs the rest of it while Marianne watches with a worried look on her face.

“Should you be drinking that so fast?” She asks concernedly.

“Nope.” Hilda coughs.

“Give me that.”

“No.” The girl quickly tips the bottle to drink the rest. Marianne grabs her by the wrist. Her grip is firm. She easily peels the flask away from her.

“I do not want you to hurt yourself.”

“The only way you’ll keep me from finishing that, is if you drink it.”

Marianne sighs. “Fine.”

She drinks the rest of the alcohol. It burns down her throat. Hilda did not put a lot of ginger ale in it.

“Are you drunk now?” Hilda asks.

“Maybe.”

“So are vampires naturally strong like that, or were you really strong before?”

“It is a side effect of becoming a vampire.”

“Oh, cool. That means you can-” Hilda stops herself. “Pick me up right now.”

“Why?”

“I wanna see how strong you are.”

“Fine.” Marianne stands up and smooths out her shirt. “Come here.”

Hilda leaps into her. The girl catches her and nearly falls back.

“You’re good at this.” Hilda compliments her. She hangs over the girl’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Do you normally do this with your friends?”

“Only the ones I know will catch me.”

Marianne sighs. “I am setting you down now.”

She carefully places the girl back on her feet. Hilda seems giddy as ever. She bounces on the balls of her feet. “What else can you do? Can you fly?”

“I cannot fly. I can see in the dark.”

“Woah. Cool,” Hilda says, “Can I see your fangs?”

“My fangs?” Marianne repeats her. “Why?”

“I’ve never seen them before.” Hilda responds.

“That is a good thing.”

“I think you’re just avoiding the question.” She pesters her friend.

“I am not.” Marianne shakes her head.

“You are. Let me see them.” Hilda reaches for the girl’s face. Marianne lets her do what she wants. Hilda gently opens her mouth to look at her fangs. She examines them closely. They have a subtle sharpness to them, but one could only find them strange if they were looking closely at them. She does not see how these would be useful for feeding.

“They don’t look very sharp,” she says, trying to prick her thumb on one.

Marianne takes the girl’s hands out of her mouth. “They get sharper.”

“Can I see?” This peaks the girl’s interest.

Marianne shakes her head. “I do not think that is a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“They only get sharper when I’m eating or when I am hungry.”

“I don’t- oh.” The girl suddenly feels embarrassed for asking. She shoves her hands in her pockets. Her cheeks start to burn. “At least you’re not hungry right now.”

“I am not.”

“Mari, you’re staring at my neck.”

“Sorry.” Her eyes immediately fall to the floor. “I think I am drunk.”

“Well, at least we’re both into biting.” Hilda jokes. “You showed me something, now I’ll show you something.”

She attempts to turn on her PS4. The television flickers on. Minecraft loads on the screen. She hops into Claude’s server. Marianne sits back on the bed. Hilda leans into her.

“So this is my house.” The girl explains. She shows her friend around the virtual world. “In this game, you build your own town however you want. We spent months making all this.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s fun.”

Marianne nods. “Okay. I think.”

Hilda continues exploring her town. “This is Claude’s house. It’s also a castle. And back here is the farm.”

“Are those horses?” The other girl gasps.

“Yeah! You can befriend them and ride them.”

“That’s so cool.”

“Do you wanna ride one?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, so you press this button to get on and off, and this button to move. My horse is the white one named Lilly.” Hilda hands her the controller and shows her all the buttons.

Marianne confusedly presses buttons. Eventually, she gets the horse to move. She lights up with joy. “I did it!”

She explores the Minecraft world for what seems like forever. Hilda rests her head in the girl’s lap and watches her play, occasionally helping her when night falls. Then, Claude pops online. A message pops up on the screen.

Claude: i see u bro :eyes:

Claude: vc?

Marianne Reads the message aloud. “Who is ‘Big Dick Energy 69’?”

“That’s Claude. He’s playing the game with us right now.”

“Oh, no. He can see me?”

“He can see the person in the game which he thinks is me. Here, let me play for a bit.”

Hilda: bro i am just vibing

Claude: so yes or no?

Hilda: gonna be a nope tonight was just showing mari the server

Claude: hi mari!

Hilda looks up at Marianne. “Claude says hi.”

“Tell him I say hello.”

Hilda: she says hi back

Claude: :D cant wait to meet her

They play for a couple more hours. Marianne spends about an hour taming as many cats as she can and then naming each of them individually. After amassing an army of cats, she builds a house next door to Hilda’s to house them. Hilda plays with her phone, trying not to fall asleep on the girl. Her eyes struggle to stay open. Her phone falls out of her hand. She decides a little nap won’t hurt anyone. She soon falls asleep in Marianne’s lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i rewrote this chapter probs 3 times its been sitting open on my desktop for weeks
> 
> also [this](https://twitter.com/_vulpixel/status/1209936893443526656?s=20)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shenanigans time

Hilda wakes up in Marianne’s arms. The room is dark except for the light of the television. While she was asleep, Marianne created an entire farm filled with horses. Hilda blinks at the screen. Her foot hits the controller, sending it off the bed. Marianne stirs, squeezing the girl tighter. Hilda can barely breathe. Her grip is incredibly strong. Hilda twists her way out of Marianne’s grip only for her to grab her and pull her back in again. This is it. This is how she dies.

If she’s gonna be stuck here, she might as well go back to sleep. She closes her eyes and waits for her body to slip back into a slumber. Instead, she feels teeth digging into her neck. They do not pierce her skin, but it is enough to make Hilda panic. She immediately wakes up and pushes Marianne off of her. Marianne slumps back onto the bed, still fast asleep.

“Marianne!” She shakes the girl to wake her up.

The girl remains fast asleep. Her chest rises and falls slowly. Hilda rubs her neck to check for blood.

“Marianne, wake up!”

Her eyes blink open. “What? What are you doing?”

“You were having a bad dream,” Hilda says quietly.

“I was having a good dream.”

“Oh- oh.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s go make breakfast.”

Of course, breakfast means eating pancakes for lunch. Hilda stirs pancake mix with water while Marianne watches over her shoulder. No pancake would be complete without chocolate chips. Hilda searches for them in the cupboards. To her luck, the bag sits on the top shelf out of reach. Hilda struggles to grab them, failing miserably. Marianne stands behind her and easily grabs the chocolate chips for her.

“Thank you, Mari,” Hilda says, her ego only slightly bruised. She pours too many chocolate chips into the batter and then eats a handful herself.

Butter melts in the pan while Hilda pours in the batter. The chocolate chips cause the batter to form in lumpy circles. Hilda would prefer rounder pancakes, but they will still taste good in the end. The two girls hover around the stove staring at the pancakes as they cook. After flipping them, Hilda grabs a couple plates. Soon, they have a large pile of warm pancakes. At that moment, Holst comes stomping down the stairs.

“How’s my favorite little sister?” He smiles cheerfully as he sits down at the counter.

“I’m your only little sister.” Hilda frowns at him.

“I meant Marianne.”

“Oh.” Hilda answers, suddenly disappointed.

Holst grabs a pancake and starts eating it with his bare hands. “Who made these?”

“I did, asshole. You can’t have any.”

“What if I told you you were my favorite blood related little sister?” Her brother negotiates with her.

“Okay. You can have one more.” Hilda decides. She looks to Marianne. “You can eat too.”

They all sit at the counter and eat pancakes quietly for a few minutes.

“So, did you two just wake up?” Holst wonders.

“We were playing Minecraft with Claude.” His sister responds. “You know how that goes.”

“Usually loud. You were surprisingly quiet. I guess Marianne is rubbing off on you.”

“I can be quiet if I want to be.”

“And you never want to be.”

As they banter, Marianne eats the rest of the pancakes.

\----

The weekend means Hilda’s mother insisting on having some ‘family time’. They pile into the car and head out for the evening. Hilda and Marianne sit in the back seat. Their mom drives, leaving Holst to the passenger seat. He plays with the music, insisting on forcing everyone to listen to whatever weird direction his music taste went in the past couple days. He turns the volume up, making his mom argue with him.

“Holst, just choose a song already,” she says, gently slapping his hands from the volume dial.

“I like this song! It should be a little louder.” Holst insists.

“What even is this stuff?”

“It’s called EDM, mom. I tell you this all the time.” The boy groans.

“I thought you liked alternates or whatever.”

“You mean alternative. That’s cool too, but I want something to dance to.”

“In the car? How about some ABBA!” His mom suggests. “That’s what I used to dance to at the club. That and Tainted Love. That was my favorite song back in the day. I’d climb on top of the counter and sing along. It was so much fun.”

Holst rolls his eyes. “Fine. I’ll play ABBA.”

The music changes. Immediately, their mom perks up. “I love this one! Turn it up!”

“Everyone likes this song, mom. It’s Dancing Queen.” Holst leans his head in his hand and stares out the window.

“Friday night and the lights are low~”

Hilda tunes their arguing out. Instead, she chooses to focus on Marianne. They sit in the backseat of the car looking at her phone. Hilda shows her how to play Neko Atsume.

“I like that one.” Marianne points to a kitty playing with a ball of yarn.

“Would you like to name her?” Hilda asks.

“You can name them? The girl gasps.

“Yeah.”

“Name her Hilda because she is cute like you.”

“Well, if you’re naming one Hilda, I’m naming one Mari.”

“And they can be friends.”

Hilda has never seen Marianne excited over something so silly. It warms her heart. Marianne leans into her as they name the rest of the cats.

The car pulls into the parking lot. On a Friday night, the place is packed. Marianne seems nervous by the crowds. Hilda takes her hand to comfort her. Their mother walks up to the counter. A tired employee helps them.

“How many?” He asks.

“Four, and we all need shoes.” Hilda’s mom answers.

“Lane six is free. What sizes do you need?”

Of course, Marianne forgets her own shoe size. Hilda steps in and gets shoes for her. Once they have shoes, they make their way to their lane. A family of small children screams nearby. A toddler attempts to push a bowling ball down the wrong lane. Her mother runs to stop her. Hilda watches amusedly.

“Hilda!” A familiar voice catches her attention. She turns around to see Claude and friends. Raphael waves excitedly at her.

“Claude, hi! I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” She greets her friend. She glances back at Marianne who is still putting on her shoes.

“I texted you we were all going bowling tonight.”

“I didn’t realize it was gonna be at the same place we were going.”

“And I didn’t know ‘family stuff’ meant going bowling.” Claude laughs. His eyes fall to Marianne. “Is this the foreign exchange student I’ve been hearing so much about?”

Marianne looks up. “You have been talking about me?”

Hilda suddenly feels very sweaty. “Uh, yeah. He’s my best friend, and I wanted you two to meet someday.”

“I gotta have the best luck,” Claude approaches Marianne and holds out his hand. “I’m Claude. Nice to finally meet you.”

By now, the girl has caught everyone’s attention. Hilda’s friends gather around to meet the new girl. Marianne seems overwhelmed by the sudden attention. She warily takes the boy’s hand. “My name is Marianne.”

“What an interesting name,” Claude says to himself. Before he can pester further, Leonie steps up.

“Hi, Marianne! I’m, Leonie.” She puts an arm around Lysithea and pulls her closer. “And this is Lysithea. She’s grumpy, but don’t let her scare you. She’s a real sweetie.”

“I can introduce myself.” Lysithea grumbles.

Raphael, as usual, butts in loudly. “I’m Raphael! It’s nice to meet you!”

Marianne jumps at the sudden intrusion. “Hello, Raphael.”

Lorenz walks up calmly. He holds his hand out. “I’m Lorenz. Nice to make your acquaintance”

She shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you as well.”

“I like her. We need another quiet one in the group.” Lorenz tells Claude.

Ignatz introduces himself last. “Hello, Marianne. I’m Ignatz.”

Hilda claps her hands together. “So these are all my friends.”

Hilda’s mom steps into the mix. “Oh, this is adorable! Marianne meeting all your friends. Hi, Claude! You and Lorenz need to come over for dinner more often!”

“I would love to!” Claude answers with equal enthusiasm. “We absolutely adore your cooking. Your pesto recipe is to die for. It has become a staple in our household. We have it for dinner at least once a week.”

“You gave Claude our pesto recipe?” Hilda whines.

“He asked for it. How could I say no to that face?” Her mother reasons.

“I knew that pesto tasted familiar.” The girl crosses her arms. “Sometimes I think you love him more than me.”

Her mother gasps. “I would never! Hilda, you’re my baby! I love you so much.”

She squeezes her into a hug. Claude tries not to burst out laughing. Hilda glares at him.

“Mom.” Her words are muffled as her mother suffocates her. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Am I embarrassing you?” She swoons dramatically. “I can’t embarrass my favorite daughter in front of her cool friends.”

“Why can’t you do this to Holst?”

Her brother grins. “Because I don’t get embarrassed like you do.”

Lysithea interrupts their moment. “Claude! Take your turn already!”

“Coming!” Claude calls back.

Once everyone calms down, Holst starts the game. He goes first, as always. The ball shoots down the lane, crashing into the pins. Most of them fall. The machine cleans them up for his next round. Holst picks up the ball. He takes a moment to compose himself as he focuses. With one fluid motion, she rolls the ball down the lane. It smacks into the remaining pins, giving him a spare. His mom claps for him as he does a victory dance.

Marianne sits down next to Hilda. She pulls at her sleeve to grab her attention. “Hilda? Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course. What is it?”

“I have never done bowling before. What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Oh, uh, it’s pretty easy. You just-”

“Hilda, it’s your turn! Hurry up, nerd.” Holst calls to her.

“Nerd? Last I checked, you’re the only person in the family who watches every single Lord of the Rings movies in one sitting.” Hilda stands up and cracks her knuckles. Her competitive side starts to take over. “Just watch me, Marianne. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

The ball is heavy in her hands. She runs her handover the smooth surface as she focuses in on her target. She takes a deep breath. One step forward. Then another. She counts her steps in her head. Ball forward. Left foot forward. Keep the wrist straight. Just like she has practiced many times before. Once she achieves perfect form, she swings her arm back and rolls the ball forward. The bowling ball its the hardwood with a loud smack. It rolls down the lane, veering violently to the left. It knocks down one single pin, making a pitiful noise. Hilda stares at the pins in utter defeat. She did everything right. What happened? Hoslt bursts out laughing.

“Oh, Hilda, you’re a bowling goddess!” He snorts.

Claude claps from the sidelines.

“I’m going easy on you, jerkwad.” She huffs.

“Language, young lady.” Her mom shoots her a glare.

“Oh, excuse me. I meant ‘I’m going easy on you, asshole’.”

“Hilda.” Her mother’s tone sends a shiver down her spine.

“Sorry, mom.” She quietly bowls her next frame.

After her turn, Marianne goes next. She timidly walks up to the lane. Hilda picks out a bowling ball for her to use.

“I got you a lighter one until you get used to it.”

The ball feels like a feather in Marianne’s hands. “I just throw it?”

“Roll it down the lane and try to knock over as many pins as possible.”

Marianne nods. “I will try. I hope.”

She steps toward the lane, fierce determination (nervousness) in her eyes. She grips the ball tight and swings to gather momentum. The ball flies up before smacking down on the wood. Slowly, it dawdles down the lane, much like the toddler trying to bowl in the lane next to them. Eventually, the ball makes it down the lane and knocks down a couple pins.

“Nice job!” Holst gives her a thumbs up. “You did better than Hilda!”

“It was an unlucky frame! I’m still getting warmed up!” Hilda huffs at her brother. She looks back to Marianne and smiles. “You did amazing, sweetie! Just do that one more time before the next person’s turn.”

The bowling ball slides back onto the rack. Marianne picks it back up. This time, she tries to focus her energy into her form. She watches Claude bowl a frame and tries to copy him. Her arm swings back. She picks up momentum. Her release is perfect. The bowling ball shoots down the lane in a blur. It smacks into the pins with a crash of thunder. A few bystanders stare.

Holst jumps out of his seat. “How fast did you throw that thing? I couldn’t even see it.”

Claude drops his bowling ball when he sees it. It lands directly on his foot, making him nearly fall over in pain.

Marianne looks at Claude with worry. “Did I hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” the boy says through a pained groan, “Just a little accident.”

“That was so cool!” Leonie cheers.

Ignatz stares at the girl with bewilderment. “Marianne, are you some kind of goddess? I’ve never seen anyone throw a bowling ball that fast.”

“Goddess? I assure you I am quite the opposite.” Marianne answers quietly.

Hilda rushes over to her friend. She hugs her on the side to keep her from fainting. “I think she did pretty good for her first time.”

Leonie looks the girl up and down. “You don’t look that muscular. Do you work out? I need to try out your routine.”

Marianne seems overwhelmed by the sudden attention. “I-”

Hilda answers for her. “She does weight training. I’m jealous, honestly.”

“Me too,” Leonie says in awe.

“Say, Marianne, are you thirsty? Let’s go get something to drink.” Hilda pulls her friend away from the group. Marianne lets her. They find themselves outside where it is quiet.

“I am sorry.” Marianne immediately apologizes. She lets out a deep breath.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I’m messing everything up in there. I’m sure they will figure out my true identity.”

“They just think you’re my friend, Mari. They have no idea you’re, well, you know.” Hilda squeezes the girl’s hand reassuringly. “My friends are just excitable. They wanna be your friend too. I can tell Claude really likes you.”

“Claude… likes me?” Marianne looks at her confused.

“Yeah. You’ll be fast friends. I can see it now.”

“If you say so.”

“Marianne, stop that. Whether you believe it or not, you’re likeable. Stop being so down on yourself.” Hilda pinches her cheek.

“I cannot help being sad.”

“Well, I’ll do everything I can to change that.”

“Thank you, Hilda. I’m very glad to have you in my life.”

“And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, so get used to it.” Hilda smiles at her. “Now, let’s go back inside before I freeze to death.”

They head back inside and beeline for the food counter. Hilda looks over the menu for something to share with everyone. She settles on a plate of nachos and gets a pretzel for herself. She buys one for Marianne as well. The girl takes it and examines it closely. She takes a cautious bite.

“How is it?” Hilda wonders.

“Soft.” Marianne answers, taking another bite. “Like you.”

“Oh, great. I’m a soft pretzel? Of all the food, you choose something so unromantic. At least compare me to an expensive steak dinner or something sexy.”

“Steak dinner? How are you a steak dinner?” The girl stuffs the rest of the pretzel into her mouth.

“Because I’m expensive, but well worth it. I’m a luxury.”

“I see. What food would I be?”

Hilda taps her chin in thought. “I think, hmm. I think you would be freshly baked loaf of bread.”

“Why?”

“Because you may be hard on the outside, but you’re soft on the inside. Also, I love bread.”

“I love bread too.”

“We should head back before anyone gets suspicious.” Hilda hands the rest of her pretzel to Marianne who downs it happily. She picks up the tray of nachos, and they venture back to their lane.

Holst stops mid-bowl when he sees Hilda return with food. He sets his ball back on the rack before rushing over. “Oh, Hilda! Did I ever tell you you’re my favorite little sister?”

“Maybe.” Hilda rolls her eyes, trying to hide a smile. “These are for everyone, you dummy. Don’t eat it all.”

She can feel Raphael’s eyes locking onto the nachos. Soon, the rest of her friends come barreling over to steal food.

“Thank you, Hilda.” Claude munches on a handful of chips.

“You’re welcome.”

Marianne! It’s your turn!” Hilda’s mom calls for the girl. Marianne nervously walks up to the lane. Carefully, she picks out a ball, ending up with one a bit heavier than the last. The weight feels much more comfortable than the last. She glances back to Hilda who gives her a reassuring thumbs up. This time, she focuses on not launching the ball into orbit. It works, kinda. The ball flings itself down the lane, crashing into the pins. Hilda hops up to cheer for her. Hilda’s mom claps.

“Nice job, Mari!” Hilda skips over to her. “That’s a strike! It’s the best thing you can get in the game.”

“Oh, uh, cool.” Her friend has no idea how to respond. Her name flashes on the television screen. She sits back down and the next person goes. After a while, Marianne gets used to the game. They bowl another round until Holst eventually wins. He sits by the computer to start another game.

“Hilda, come here.” Marianne calls for her friend quietly.

Hilda whips around. “What do you need, Mari?”

She trots over to the girl. Marianne suddenly grabs her and pulls her into her lap. “I do not need anything.”

Claude wanders over to their side. “Aren’t you two just the cutest?”

“You’re just jealous I’m not sitting in your lap.” Hilda sticks her tongue out at him.

“It’s okay. I have Lorenz for that. Except he’s more like a cat. If you pick him up, he immediately wants to get down,” the boy says, “Anyway, I was wondering what you were doing after this.”

“Probably going home. Why?”

“I mean we’re all heading back to my place after this. Gonna order some pizzas and cause trouble. You want in?”

Hilda looks to the other girl. “Would you like to hang out with Claude and everyone after this?”

“Uh, we could do that.” Marianne answers.

Claude smiles. “You can ride with me and Lorenz once you’re done with this game.”


	12. Chapter 12

Claude unlocks the door to the apartment. Luckily, they arrived before the other car. Lorenz steps inside first. He takes his shoes off by the door. The lights flicker on. Hilda and Marianne step inside. Claude closes the door behind them, leaving it unlocked for the rest of their friends. Marianne sticks close to Hilda as they walk further into the apartment.

“Make yourself at home.” Claude can sense Marianne’s anxiousness.

Hilda takes the girl by the hand. “Come sit on the couch with me.”

Claude joins them after a while. He brings them each a glass of water.

“So how is my Hilda doing? It’s been a while.” He asks. “Did you go to all your midterms?”

“I did.”

“Promise?”

“I can tell you I did them. Can’t promise I did good on them.”

Her friend laughs. “I know, but it’s a step in the right direction. How has the family been adjusting to your new roommate?”

“My mom loves Mari. She instantly became a part of the family.” Hilda smiles at Marianne. The girl smiles back.

Marianne nods. “I like Hilda’s mother.”

“Can I call you Mari?” Claude wonders. “Or is that just for Hilda?”

“You can call me what you like.”

“Okay, Mari. Do you like daiquiris?”

Marianne looks to Hilda. “What is a daiquiri?”

“It’s a mixed drink.” Hilda answers before Claude can tease her. “It has alcohol, but it’s very sweet. You’ll like it.”

“I will try it then.”

Claude stands up and claps his hands together. “Good because Lorenz is making them tonight to celebrate.”

“What’s the occasion?” Hilda asks.

“I’m gonna be out of state for Thanksgiving. I’m gonna miss you guys. Especially you, Hilda.”

“You’re being too sweet, Claude. You’re gonna make me start being nice to you.” Hilda rolls her eyes, trying to hide a smile. “What about your boyfriend?”

“He’s coming with me!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s gonna be his first time meeting my family. I’m… nervous.”

“Do they know you’ve been dating him for almost three years?”

“Uh, no. That’s why I’m nervous.”

Hilda stands up to hug her friend. “Claude, you’ll be fine. Your family will love Lorenz. If they don’t, I know a hitman we can hire.”

“Is it Hubert?”

“Yes.”

“Just pay him to stand in the front yard and stare ominously through the front window.”

“Can I do that anyway?”

“Sure.” Claude shrugs. “Would love a good conversation starter to break the ice at dinner.”

A knock at the door interrupts their moment. Before anyone can answer, Raphael comes bounding in. He holds two boxes of pizza in each hand.

“Party time!” He yells. Hopefully, the neighbors are deep sleepers. The rest of their friends follow close behind. Lysithea seems absorbed with her phone. The first pizza box disappears within five minutes. Lorenz starts passing out the drinks.

“Thank you, Lorenz,” Hilda says as she takes two for her and Marianne. Immediately, she takes a sip. The sweet fruity flavor tempts her to chug the whole thing in one sip. Instead, she practices restraint. She has no reason to get smashed tonight. Especially if she still needs to get home at the end of the night.

Marianne awkwardly holds the drink in her hands, not sure what to do with it.

“Try it.” Hilda encourages her.

The other girl tentatively brings the glass to her lips. She tips the glass back and takes a small sip. Hilda does the same, making half the glass disappear.

Claude holds a DVD case over his head. “As per tradition that I just made up, I request we watch Twilight one last time before I leave.”

“Do we really have to watch it again?” Hilda groans.

“Yes.” Claude answers simply. “My house my rules. Besides, I bet Marianne wants to watch it.”

“Watch what?” Marianne perks up.

“Twilight.”

“I have never seen it.”

Claude gasps. “You’ve never seen Twilight? Hilda, what have you been teaching this girl?”

“What actual good movies are.” Hilda rolls her eyes at him.

“Sometimes bad movies are fun to watch too. Especially with friends. Marianne, I’m about to show you what real cinema is.” Claude gets up to grab more drinks for everyone before the movie starts.

Marianne looks to Hilda. “What is this movie about?”

“It’s about- uh, you’ll see.” The girl stops herself. She cannot find the heart to answer truthfully. “It’s a romance movie.”

Lysithea sits down on the floor in front of the two. She appears to be reading an article on her phone. Words bore Hilda, so she does not bother snooping. Ignatz makes himself comfortable next to her, absorbed in his notebook. This intrigues Hilda.

“What are you drawing, Iggy?” She peeks over his shoulder.

He immediately closes the book. “It’s nothing.”

“Well, it’s obviously something. Are you drawing another pretty girl? I wanna see.”

“Fine.” The boy sighs. “I’m drawing a girl.”

“Anyone in particular? Maybe a girl you have a crush on?” Hilda pesters further.

“Oh, you mean that vampire chick?” Lysithea speaks up. “You’ve been talking about her a lot lately.”

“What? No.” Ignatz turns bright red.

“Do you have a crush on a vampire?” Hilda asks, a smug grin on her face.

“I do not!”

“Liar.”

“I get it,” Lysithea says with a shrug, “Who doesn’t like a mysterious woman? I’d date a vampire if I got the chance. Well, my girlfriend might actually be a vampire so same difference.”

Marianne stays quiet as they banter. She takes a long sip from her drink to keep from reacting.

“Iggy, show me the sexy vampire woman.” Hilda holds out her hand.

Ignatz sighs and pulls his notebook back out. He opens it to his drawing and hands it to the girl. The page is filled with a half finished sketch of a woman with fangs. It seems as if he were trying to recreate the destroyed portrait from the abandoned house.

“Lame. I can’t see her tits. Give her some cleavage.”

“That’s not how people dressed back then!”

“But it’s your drawing. You can make her look however you want, so you should make her look smokin’ hot.” Hilda shows the drawing to Marianne. “What do you think? Should she be hotter?”

“She already looks pretty.” The girl timidly answers, not sure what to say.

“Oh, c’mon, Mari. Have some taste. She needs big boobs.”

“Are you all done?” Lorenz huffs at them. “We’re trying to watch a movie.”

The television flickers on. The movie begins. Claude turns off a few lights to add ambiance. Everyone gathers closer to the television. Claude leans back on the couch and puts an arm around his boyfriend. Lorenz rests his head on his shoulder. The room goes quiet as the movie starts. Raphael reaches for another slice of pizza despite already having an entire uneaten slice in his other hand. Marianne does the same. Hilda finishes off her second drink. She needs it if she’s gonna watch Twilight for a second time in one month. Marianne stares at the screen intently as she eats another slice of pizza.

“Why are they so sparkly?” Marianne leans over to whisper to Hilda. “I do not understand.”

“They have like crystals in their skin or something. I’m not quite sure.”

“That is not how vampires work. This is silly.”

“The whole movie is silly. That’s the point.” Hilda leans into the girl. “Just enjoy the company.”

They sit through the whole movie, all while getting drunk. Hilda wishes she could take a shot everytime something dumb happens, but she would probably die. Instead, she settles for another cocktail Lorenz so graciously made. Her head starts to spin. The movie is instantly more enjoyable. By the end of the movie, everyone is drunk.

Claude stands up. “Let’s watch the rest!”

“No!” A chorus answers.

“Fine.” The boy frowns. “What else should we do, then? Uno?”

“I like Uno!” Hilda says excitedly.

“Let’s go outside and play football.” Raphael suggests.

“But it’s cold out.” Lysithea frowns.

“Tackle or touch?” Leonie asks.

“Tackle.” Raphael responds. “Obviously.”

“Then I’m in.”

Lysithea flops over onto the floor. “I’m not playing football with you two. I’m drunk, not stupid.”

Claude thinks for a moment before he lights up with a brilliant scheme. “Let’s go back to the house! Keep the night vampire themed.”

“You want to go back into the woods?” Ignatz asks.

“Yeah. Lorenz hasn’t seen it yet. Neither has Marianne. It’ll be a fun bonding experience.”

Hilda speaks up. “I don’t think we should do that. I mean, it’s just a boring old house. Everything’s gonna be the same.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want to walk,” Claude says, “Or maybe you’re chicken?”

“I don’t wanna walk. Too much work for being drunk.”

“Let’s leave it up to vote. Who wants to go visit the spooky vampire house in the woods?” Claude raises his hand. A few others raise their hands as well.

“Lysithea? Really?” Hilda sees the girl raising her hand. “I thought you hated it last time.”

“It’ll keep us from watching another Twilight movie or playing football.” The girl answers simply.

“Fair point. I don’t think I can stomach another one.” She is not sure if Marianne can either.

Before she knows it, they’re making their way through the woods. Luckily, Hilda wore warmer clothes. Marianne seems unaffected by the cold. Leaves crunch under their feet. Occasionally, they can hear the fleeting movement of a deer. Clouds shroud the moon, making it hard to see. Claude leads the way, using his phone as a flashlight. Ignatz sticks close to him. They discuss something that Hilda cannot be bothered to listen to. She hums a song stuck in her head.

“Hey, Mari?” She calls to her friend.

“Yes?”

“I’m really drunk. Can you hold my hand?”

“I am drunk too. I will not be able to help you.”

“Yeah, but you seem more coordinated than me. Also, I’m cold.” She takes the girl’s hand, forgetting her skin feels like ice. “Ugh, you’re cold too.”

“Sorry.”

“Not sorry. I’ll just have to warm you up.” Hilda continues to babble as they walk. Soon, the house comes into sight. The clouds part for a brief moment, and eerie moonlight floods the darkness. Claude walks up to the main gate.

“Raphael, Leonie, could you help me push this open?” He instructs.

“Isn’t this locked?” Leonie remembers last time.

“I came here a while ago with Ignatz to investigate again. I unlocked the front gate from the inside.”

“Oh, and that’s when you saw someone.”

“I saw two people, actually,” Claude says, “I heard a noise from upstairs, came down, and saw two sets of footprints in the snow. I think we walked in while the vampire was about to feed, and its prey escaped.”

“Doesn’t that bother you at all?” Leonie asks.

“A lot, actually. Just more reason to investigate. We can’t let a feral vampire run loose in our neighborhood. We need to know if they’re still here.”

“I wish I could get chased down by a sexy vampire.” Hilda mumbles helpfully. Her drunk brain starts to take over once again. “I’d let her take all my blood. All of it.”

“Hilda, why must you be a horny drunk?” Claude rolls his eyes.

Leonie and Raphael use all their strength to swing the large gate open. It creaks loudly. Slowly, it opens enough for them to slip inside easily. They make their way to the door.

Once inside, they look around. Everything seems the same, covered in a thick layer of dust. Claude examines everything thoroughly. Raphael nearly breaks every floorboard he steps on.

“I don’t see any vampires.” Hilda frowns. “Let’s go home.”

Claude sighs. “I wanna see if the diary is here.”

“I wanna find the secret dungeon!” Leonie exclaims. She pulls Lysithea toward the study.

“I’m gonna check there first too. Hilda, you wanna check the bedroom again?”

“Do I have to? It’s upstairs. That means walking.” The girl huffs.

“You walked all the way here,” Claude says.

“I hope a sexy vampire doesn’t swoop down and kill me while I’m up there alone.” She winks.

Her friend sighs. “Marianne, I’m sorry you have to see this side of Hilda.”

“It was inevitable.” Marianne shrugs it off.

Hilda hugs the girl. “She likes me no matter what. C’mon. Let’s go fool around upstairs.”

She drags her friend up the stairs. The stairs creak loudly under her clumsy steps. One board nearly breaks under the pressure. Marianne worriedly follows behind her, knowing how uncoordinated Hilda is while drunk. Of course, once they reach the top of the stairs, Hilda trips and nearly falls. Marianne quickly catches her before she can faceplant into the floor.

Hilda giggles. “You’re really strong.”

“You need to get out of the habit of falling over.” Marianne gently scolds her.

Hilda leans against the wall to catch her breath. “Can you blame me? I like when you hold me.”

“You are very strange when drunk.”

“In a good way?”

“In a loud way.”

“I can be louder.”

“Do not-”

“Oh no! There’s a vampire up here! And she’s sexy! I hope she doesn-”

Marianne puts a hand over her mouth. “You drank too much.”

“You didn’t drink enough.” Hilda laughs, pulling her hand away. “Does this remind you of something?”

“Yes. When we first met.”

“Our first meeting! How cute. We’ll have to celebrate our anniversary next month,” the girl says, “I’ll take you out to a nice restaurant, and we’ll pretend it’s your birthday so we get free dessert. Actually, when is your birthday?”

“November 23rd.” Marianne answers.

Hilda gasps. “That’s so soon! We gotta celebrate.”

“I see no reason to. It is just my birthday.”

Hilda puts a hand on either of her shoulders. “Marianne, your birthday is so important to me. We’re gonna celebrate because you’re my friend, and I love you. Mari, why are you crying?”

The girl wipes away a tear. “I am not crying. I have something in my eye.”

“Mari, you’re crying.” Hilda hugs her close. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Marianne hesitates. “You love me?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Marianne’s lip quivers. The tears start to flow. “No one has ever told me they loved me before.”

Hilda’s heart breaks. “Not even your mother?”

“Never.”

Hilda squeezes her tight. “Marianne, I never want you to feel unloved again. I care about you so much, and your family is stupid for not seeing the good in you. I love you, Marianne. I’m never gonna stop reminding you of that.”

Marianne sinks to the floor and sobs. The other girl kneels down next to her, a look of worry on her face.

“Mari, what’s wrong now?”

“Nothing. I feel overwhelmed.”

“In a good way?” The girl hugs her again.

Marianne sniffles and wipes a tear away. “Yes. I think so.”

“Well, you need to get used to feeling love. Come here.” Hilda kisses her on the cheek. “Okay, no more crying. Only happy now. I’m in charge.”

“Thank you, Hilda. I love you too.”

“We’re in love! That’s so cute. You’re so cute. I’m gonna kiss you again.” She pecks the girl on the cheek once more. “You have a very kissable face.”

“And you are very drunk.”

“You keep telling me that.”

“Because you keep acting drunk.”

“I’m not drunk!”

“You are.”

“I only had like, uh, drinks.” Hilda attempts to count on her fingers before giving up.

“Vampires can sense lies.”

“Fuck.” Hilda curses herself. “Okay. I admit I’m drunk. What are you gonna do about it?”

“Try and keep you out of trouble.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Hey, Hilda! Marianne! Come down here! This is huge!” Claude interrupts their moment.

“Ugh, Claude, what do you want?” Hilda leans over the railing to call back down to him.

“We found something.”

Hilda turns to Marianne. “I guess we should go check it out.”

Claude meets them at the bottom of the stairs. He has an excited look on his face. “It’s in the study.”

They walk into the study to see a giant hole where the bookcase used to be. Ignatz shines a light down the tunnel while Lysithea cowers in fear. Leonie comforts her.

“Secret entrance! Sweet!” Raphael takes a step inside. Lysithea screams at him to stop.

Claude stops him. “Don’t go down alone. Someone should stay up here to keep watch in case we get locked in or we have an uninvited guest.”

“You mean if the vampire shows up?” Lysithea asks.

“It sounds silly, but yes. But also mostly because I don’t wanna get trapped in a basement for goddess knows how long.” Claude taps his chin in thought. “Two people should stay up here.”

“I will stay up here.” Marianne volunteers.

“So that’s one-”

“Me too,” Lysithea says, “If there’s ghosts anywhere, it’s down there.”

“I’ll stay up here as well.” Lorenz nods.

“So it’s settled.” Claude rubs his hands together. “Raphael, lead the way.”

Hilda looks to Marianne. The girl looks back. She seems scared by something hidden down there.

“Do you want me to stay up here with you?” Hilda whispers in her ear.

The girl shakes her head. “I will be okay.”

“I’ll be back soon. Promise.”

Their footsteps echo down the long stairwell. The flashlight illuminates the inky darkness. Even with the light, they cannot see the end of the stairwell. They descend into the void together. Even Claude seems worried. Hilda stays close to Claude. Her anxiety peaks once they hit the bottom step. Her heart beats out of her chest.

“I knew there was a secret dungeon down here.” Leonie explores the room, seeming unbothered by the oddity of it all.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Claude says, his voice wavering, “But I’m sure there’s a lot of answers down here.”

“I don’t like this at all.” A shiver runs down Hilda’s spine. This does not feel right. She glances around in horror at the makeshift laboratory. It looks like something out of Frankenstein, complete with the torture table. Claude steps up to the table to get a better look.

“Who do you think used this?” He wonders out loud. He unshackles one of the restraints.

“The doctor.” Ingatz answers. “This must have been his office.”

“But why the shackles?”

“Back then, there wasn’t really any anesthesia. I’m assuming the straps are to keep the subject from moving despite being under great pain.”

“That’s horrifying.” Hilda subconsciously backs up to the stairs. “I don’t wanna be down here anymore.”

“There’s old books down here.” Claude brushes off the dust of a particularly large book. It appears to be an outdated anatomy book. Another details how to perform different surgeries. “Woah. This is weird.”

“What is it?” Ignatz joins him.

Claude attempts to read the title aloud. “This seems to be in, uh, German, I think.”

He opens the book. Notes are scribbled over the pages. Some pages are torn out completely. Others have highlighted passages. 

“Can you make anything out? Is it just another medical journal?” Ignatz peeks over his shoulder.

“I think this is about vampires. Maybe there’s an English book around here we can read instead.”

They spot a small red journal fallen on the floor. Ignatz picks it up and dusts the cobwebs off it. He flips open to the first page. “This was written by Margrave Von Edumnd himself.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s note on experiments he was doing.”

“We’re keeping that,” Claude says, “Throw it in the bag.”

In that time, Raphael has managed to get himself stuck on the operating table. Leonie tugs at the restraints to loosen them so he can slide his muscular arms out. His arm stays stuck.

“What did you do?” Claude shakes his head disappointedly.

“I just wanted to try it out. I thought it would be funny.” Raphael answers innocently.

“You’re really stuck?”

Leonie pulls harder. “I accidentally latched it too tight, and now I can’t loosen it.”

“Raphael, don’t move.” Claude pulls out a knife.

“Don’t amputate me! I’ll behave! I promise!” The boy tries to break free. The leather starts to stretch. His arm rips out of the restraint.

“Oh,” Leonie says, “That was easier than I thought it would be.”

“Nothing like a little adrenaline to get the muscles working.” Claude pockets his knife.

A terrified scream comes from upstairs. Claude barrels up the stairs toward the source of the noise. The rest follow him. They walk into the room to see Marianne holding Lysithea bridal style. Lysithea clings tight to her, all the color drained from her face. She trembles in fear. Lorenz starts nearby, trying not to act scared.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Claude asks.

“I saw a ghost.” Lysithea cries. “I want to leave.”

“You’re scared of ghosts but not vampires?”

“Vampires aren’t real. Ghosts are real and can hurt me.”

“Fear not, Lysithea!” Raphael booms. He flexes for added effect. “We’re here now. We will protect you!”

“Can you punch a ghost?” Leonie wonders.

“You can’t punch a ghost. We’re all doomed.” Lysithea hides back in Marianne’s shoulder.

“There is no ghost, Lysithea. I promise you.” Marianne comforts her softly. “No ghost could ever haunt this place. It was washed down over a hundred years ago after everyone died.”

“Wait, how do you know that?” Claude asks with suspicion.

“I told her that.” Hilda pipes up.

“How would you know that, Hilda?” He turns his attention to the other girl. “Have you secretly been nerding out on me?”

“Uh, yeah. I read the diary before you took it.” She answers smoothly. She snaps her hair tie against her wrist.

“I vaguely remember reading something like that.” Claude nods, taking her bait.

“So there’s no ghosts?” Lysithea turns their attention back to the matter at hand.

“There are no ghosts,” Marianne says.

“Okay, uh, could you set me down please?”

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Marianne gently sets the girl back down.

They all crowd the room. An awkward silence falls over everyone. Claude clears his throat.

“I think we should head out of here,” he says.

“Let’s do that.” Lorenz agrees.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> support your local libraries!

By the time they return to Claude’s apartment, the alcohol has worn off. Hilda leans into Marianne, feeling tired. Lorenz immediately goes into his room. He mutters something about needing beauty sleep before shutting the door behind him. Ignatz and Claude look over their new book. The apartment is much quieter than it was before. Eventually, Leonie and Lysithea wander out. Raphael follows close behind.

Hilda yawns loudly. “I gotta go home, Claude. Thanks for the booze and forced exercise.”

“You’re not staying over?” Claude says, seeming genuinely surprised.

“I gotta get Marianne home.” Hilda awkwardly puts an arm around the girl’s shoulders, forgetting how tall she is. “We’ll be fine. Promise.”

The boy stands up to hug his friend. “Bye, Hilda. Stay safe.”

He looks to Marianne. “And you too, Mari. I’m glad I finally got to meet you, and I can’t wait to hang out again.”

“Aw. You two are cute.” Hilda coos.

Marianne smiles. “I am glad we met, Claude. Goodnight.”

Streetlights illuminate the road as they venture home. Both of them are quiet. The cold night air keeps Hilda awake. She looks up at Marianne, who seems tired. Eventually, they pass by the woods where they came from. Marianne stares down at the pavement. Hilda clears her throat.

“Sorry we went to your old house. It’s gotta be strange seeing people tramp over a place you consider your home,” she says quietly, suddenly feeling guilty.

“That is not my home.” Marianne responds. “It was weird going back, but for other reasons.”

“Was it the basement?”

The girl nods. “It hurt to see it again. It brings back memories.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“I do not want to.”

“We can talk about something else. Like bowling. Did you have fun?”

“Bowling was fun.”

“I can take you somewhere else fun next week. What kind of things do you enjoy doing?” Hilda asks curiously.

“I like reading.” Marianne answers.

“Really? Reading is so boring.”

“Not for me. It gives me a chance to escape to another world. Like your Minecraft but with more words.”

“What kind of books do you like to read?”

“I’m not sure,” the girl says with a shrug, “I read all the books in my old house so many times I lost count.”

“You desperately need some new reading material.” Hilda thinks out loud. “I can take you to the library.”

“They have libraries in modern times?”

“Yeah! I’ll take you tomorrow if you want. You can read all the books you want.”

“That would be wonderful.”

\----

Hilda wakes up earlier than normal. She checks her phone. It flashes the time, as well as a few text messages. She looks over, half expecting to see Marianne sleeping next to her. Instead, her bed is empty. She forgets the girl has her own room. She rolls out of bed and stumbles next door. Holst catches her in the hallway.

“You’re up early. It’s not even ten o’clock,” he says, giving his sister a strange look, “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Can I not just be awake early?” Hilda rolls her eyes at him.

“No. Not on a Saturday.”

“Really?”

“I only see you awake before noon if you’ve been up all night and are just getting to bed.” Holst reasons. “Maybe Marianne really is getting to you.”

“I wouldn’t say that. She’s more of a night person.”

“Well, since you’re awake, did you want to help me out with the grocery shopping?”

“Holst, I just woke up. I need time to get ready.”

“How long do you need?”

“An hour if I don’t shower.” It takes her an hour just to shower, and she desperately needs a shower. She spent the night getting drunk in a haunted house.

Holst checks his phone. “I have to be at work by noon, so I really need to get going now. You can help me put the groceries away after your shower then.”

“Fine. I’ll do it. Now, leave me alone. I need to shower.”

\----

The warm water feels like heaven on her skin. Hilda scrubs away the sickening stench of alcohol. Once finished, she delicately wraps her hair in a towel. She takes her time in the bathroom, getting ready for the day. Once ready, she steps out of the bathroom, immediately running into Marianne.

“Sorry.” Marianne squeaks.

“It’s fine, Mari. Did you need to use the bathroom? You could’ve knocked. I take way too long in there anyway.”

“I was only waiting to use the shower. Do not rush yourself on my account.”

“I’ll try to be more mindful next time. Either way, the shower’s free now. After that, we’ll head out for our special day.”

Marianne smiles. “Our special day. I look forward to it.”

They trade places. Marianne heads to the shower while Hilda heads off. She returns to her room and lounges naked in only her towel for a while. She scrolls through various social medias to pass the time as she dries off. Eventually, she gets ready. The loud hissing of her hair dryer fills the room. She brushes her hair out until it is dry. Next, she picks out an outfit. Her options lie before her on the bed. After staring at them for ten minutes, she decides on an entirely different outfit.

There is a knock at the door. “Hilda? May I come in?”

Hilda opens the door to let Marianne in. “I’m all ready to go if you are.”

“I am ready as well.” Marianne answers.

“Let’s go, then!”

The library, as all libraries are, is quiet. On a Saturday, most people have better places to be, so the library sits nearly empty. A single librarian sits at the desk, typing furiously into her computer. A person lies in a beanbag chair, absorbed in a book.

Marianne looks around in awe at the selection of books. Aisles of books stand before her. She has no idea where to start. She walks up and down each aisle while Hilda follows her. Her fingers run up and down the spines of particular books that interest her. She picks out random books and thumbs through them.

“I have a lot to catch up on,” she says, adding another book to her selection.

“Want me to help you carry those?” Hilda offers. “I’m not gonna pick out anything.”

“Oh, thank you.” Her friend dumps a stack of books into her arms. The weight takes her by surprise. Still, she manages to hold them all up.

Marianne wanders down another aisle. A certain book catches her attention. She pulls it out for Hilda to see. A copy of _Twilight_ sits in her hand. Marianne looks quite confused. “This is a book?”

“Yeah.” Hilda answers. “They make a lot of books into movies.”

Marianne stares at the book. Eventually, curiosity gets the better of her. She adds it to her collection. “I will read it.”

Hilda blinks at her in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Besides, I need enough books to last me the next hundred years.”

“I think you need to return them by next month.”

“Oh. Then, I will read these all by next month.”

“We can renew books too. Or come back for them. There’s a lot of options.”

“Then, I will do what you just said. Am I allowed to take these home?” Marianne wonders.

“Yeah. You just gotta get a library card.” Hilda nods in the direction of the front desk. “Follow me.”

She leads her friend to the front desk. They set the large stack of books down with a loud thump. The librarian sits up, staring at the sheer amount of books in disbelief. Then, a smile spreads across her face.

“I see you two have a lot of reading planned for this month.” She starts working her way through the pile, scanning each book individually. The scanner beeps with each book. “These are some good choices. I especially liked this one.”

Marianne watches eagerly as the librarian scans each book. Hilda stares at her in awe. She has never seen the girl so lively.

“Do you have a library card?” The librarian asks once she finishes off the pile.

“Oh, uh, I do not. Sorry.” Marianne answers with disappointment. Hilda can see her heart sink.

“That’s okay!” The librarian says, “I’ll sign you up for one. I just need your name and date of birth.”

Marianne lights up again. “Okay. My name is Marianne von Edmund, and I was born on November 32rd-”

“1996.” Hilda finishes the sentence for her. “You were born in 1996.”

The librarian looks up at her confusedly. “Does she not remember her own birthday?”

“She doesn’t actually. She’s recovering from amnesia. Sometimes she struggles with what seems simple.”

“Oh. I apologize. That was not my business to ask.” The librarian types furiously into her computer. A moment later, the card shoots out of the printer. She hands it to Marianne, still hot and fresh. Marianne holds it tight, staring down at it in amazement.

“With this I can get more books?” She asks.

“Yes. You can borrow as many books as you want. You do have to bring them back in a month, but you can renew them if you need them for longer.”

“Thank you for your help,” Marianne says, “I will keep this forever.”

“I look forward to seeing you again.” The librarian smiles at her.

The two girls collect their books and head back to the car, Marianne practically glows with excitement. She starts reading her first book on the ride home.

“Thank you for taking me, Hilda.” Marianne hugs her awkwardly in the car. “I have so many books to read now.”

“I’m glad. You’ll need something to pass the time with once I go back to school.”

“When do you go back?”

“Once Thanksgiving break is over. It’s this Thursday,” Hilda says, turning off the car, “Oh, and you might have to meet my father. I apologize about that ahead of time.”

“You father? The one you do not like?”

“Yeah. He’s, well, you’ll find out soon. I think he’ll warm up to you, though.”

“Is he going to hurt me?”

“Absolutely not. I won’t let him lay a finger on you.”

“Well, I will not let him touch you either.” Marianne decides.

“Hey, we’re gonna get through this Thanksgiving together. It’ll be fun.” Hilda holds out her hand in a fist.

Marianne stares at her hand, not sure what to do. She holds her hand up to copy her.

“This is a fist bump.” Hilda explains. “You just hit your hand against mine.”

“Oh!” Marianne bumps their fists together. “Cool.”

They carry their mound of books inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aight twit is [ yeet ](https://twitter.com/_vulpixel)


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